David Wright (12 December 1912 - 25 May 1967; UK)
David Wright was a British illustrator who drew a series of "lovelies" that epitomised female glamour during World War II. He also created the Carol Day cartoon strip for the Daily Mail that ran from 1956 - 1967, a sophisticated soap opera style of comic strip.

However, it is his series of 169 illustrations for The Sketch magazine (from 1941 to 1951) that became most popular. In the 1950s he continued drawing in a similar style for Men Only.

His uncle Gilbert worked for the illustrated weekly The Graphic and Wright started work at his uncle's studio after leaving school, later becoming the fashion illustrator for a number of women's magazines, including Home Chat and Modern Weekly.

He was commissioned in 1941 to draw a series of glamorous women for The Sketch, most of whom were modelled on his wife Esme. They were designed as a single page, to be fixed loosely into the magazine for easy removal by readers who could, quite literally, 'pin up' a picture in bars, pubs, barrack rooms and officers' messes.

Wright's pin-ups were a masterclass in understated eroticism. Largely inspired by his wife Esmé (née Little), whom he had met as a model, the 'Lovelies' echo her faultlessly slim figure and striking features, exude feminine allure and a certain, tantalising aloofness. Whether clad in diaphanous lingerie, stretching out their stocking-clad legs, or more modestly, in chic, 1940s jackets or uniform, the 'Lovelies' sizzled with sex appeal and elegant seduction. Many of the pictures had titles - 'Streamline Fuselage' or 'Spitfire' - that reflected the preoccupations of war, but were laced with a sly double-entendre. Wright had hit on a winning and very individual, pin-up formula.

The illustrations established him as one of the most popular pin-up artists during World War II. Also during the war he worked as a driving instructor for the armed forces in Abersoch, Wales, which left him plenty of time to continue his illustration work.

In 1944, David Wright's agent won him a commission for a number of front cover illustrations for The American Weekly magazine, at first under the series title of Highlights to Charm. The American Weekly, owned by William Randolph Hearst had an astonishing circulation of 50 million, due to the fact it was produced as a supplement to almost every local newspaper across the United States. It is difficult to think of a more effective form of exposure for a pin-up artist, establishing Wright in the firmament of the genre's great names. Interestingly, his cover illustrations for American Weekly are far more modest with a girl-next-door flavour, designed for an audience that was a tad more conservative than the British at war.

Wright's first comics work was for Kit Carson and appeared in Cowboy Picture Library in 1952. He also created girl strips like Judy (1953) andJo and in 1957 he painted Danger Treads Softly in black and white.

His son, Patrick Wright, is also an established comic artist.
Source: Wikipedia, Mary Evans Picture Library, Lambiek