Courtesy the Porter family, the original art for the July 1940 cover of Liberty magazine. Over the course of his 15 year career at Disney's, Hank Porter created dozens of illustrations for magazine covers, advertisements and articles.
The conceptual art and the illustration that was actually used are pretty much the same with one exception - the positioning of Donald's head has been moved forward in the final art used on the magazine's cover. Otherwise, the two pieces are pretty much identical.
The image is loaded with patriotic American symbols, befitting the fact this particular issue appeared on newsstands the same month Americans celebrated their Independence Day. The iconic symbols include the torch from the statue of Liberty, the Scales of Justice, the Liberty Bell, reference to the year 1776 when the colonies declared their independence, and of course, an American eagle, who happens to be sporting an "Uncle Sam" stovepipe hat, beard and trousers.
And while that eagle was lashed to Donald's radiator in the illustration, less than a year and half after this magazine hit the newsstands, the might of that eagle would be unleashed as America declared war on the governments of both Japan and Germany.
Posted by DisneyDave at 10:35 PM on "Toons at War"
Note: "Toons at War" is a very interesting channel. It also brings up a very timely description of how cartoons are used politically today, to demonstrate freedom of speech. It was also used throughout WWII as propaganda, as Hitler used his propaganda in the publishing of numerous Jew-hate cartoons, which oozed like a wound that could not be healed; nor, has this wound healed today.
Today, many of the same types of hateful propaganda is used, by the simple drawing of a cartoon. Islam and the Arab world is notorious for scribbling off cartoons and posting to their web sites all over the Internet and their newspapers. And yet, these same people threaten others with death and beheading, if they should demonstrate their freedom of speech by drawing a caricature of Mohammad. It was with "freedom" from such an ideology that there was a "Draw Mohammad Day".
One cartoon often says more than a one thousand word commentary. One cartoon represents an artist's ideas, his thoughts, and those thoughts can be used for either freedom or slavery; to promote a sense of values, or hatefulness. For the artist, he holds a great responsibility to others when he publishes his thoughts, through a cartoon.
However, one does not need to be an artist to speak up. Our government "leaders" are unable to read our minds. Silence is not always "golden". Silence will send folks to the gas chambers. Silence gives our representatives in Washington the "idea" that we are in agreement with their choices and how can they hear if we have lost our voice? Let your voices be heard - "Speak up - Mind reading is hard, so say what you feel" (poster >>>>
We are most certainly at war - it is called a "War on Terror" and that fact cannot be hidden under the false guise of changing the language/description to please the enemy. War is not "politically correct". Political correctness will get us all killed.
Bee Sting
