Feminist Animal Paintings

Cover illustration for mid-century children's book publisher Merril Publishers. Signed lower right. Unframed. Retta Scott or Retta Worcester was (February 23, 1916 – August 26, 1990) was an pioneering Female Illustrator / American artist. She was the first woman to receive screen credit as an animator at the Walt Disney Animation Studios. Scott worked on storyboards to develop scenes of Bambi, his mother, and the film’s hunting dogs, on which she spent weeks to develop them into “vicious, snarling, really mean beasts.” Male artists in the company were stunned who initially assumed that only a man could create drawings with such intensity and technical skill. Her sketches caught the eye of Disney, so when the film went into production, she was assigned to animate scenes of hunting dogs chasing Faline. She worked under the film's supervising director, David D. Hand,and was tutored by Disney animator Eric Larson. This was a significant coup for the young woman, since at the 1930s-era Disney studio, women were considered only for routine tasks: "Ink and paint art was a laborious part of the animation process, and was solely the domain of women..." Her promotion to animator was in part thanks to the success of herself and other women such as Bianca Majolie, Sylvia Holland, and Mary Blair as storyboard artists. Even after receiving a promotion to animator, she and her animations continued being under appreciated in the industry. Though the most recognized Walt Disney female artist is Mary Blair, it is Retta Scott who opened up the doors for women in the animation industry. She became the first woman to receive screen credit as an animator. By the spring of 1941, Scott was also considered a "specialist in animal sketches." Scott helped produce Fantasia and Dumbo, as well as an adaptation of The Wind in the Willows that was later cancelled. She also made an appearance in The Reluctant Dragon...

Known for painting fantastical, anxiety-ridden narrative scenes with a touch of humor, Jenny Toth works from direct observation, sometimes with the aid of elaborate set-ups and props...