John Coleman Burroughs
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John Coleman ""Jack" Burroughs (28 February 1913 - 22 February 1979) was an American illustrator known for his illustrations of the works of his father, Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Jack Burroughs was born in Chicago, the son of Edgar Rice Burroughs, creator of Tarzan, and of his first wife, Emma Centennia Hulbert.
All of Edgar Rice Burroughs' children - Joan, Hulbert, and John Coleman - were fans of their father's writing, but only John Coleman Burroughs actually added significantly to Edgar Rice Burroughs's works with new creative material, although Hulbert was very involved in photography and Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. business matters and Joan starred as Jane in the 1932 Tarzan radio serial. Since Jack grew up in an atmosphere saturated by his father's famous creations, it is not surprising that his first excursions into the professional art world would be influenced by Edgar Rice Burroughs themes.
At age 23, he was given the chance to illustrate his father's book, The Oakdale Affair and the Rider published on 15 February 1937. A few months earlier, Ed had written: "... it has always been the ambition of my son, Jack, and myself that one day he would illustrate one of my books. He is doing very excellent work, and I am having him illustrate the Spring book for us." Jack Burroughs was very dedicated to his art and threw himself completely into his work, striving hard to justify his father's faith in him. The cover and the two interior illustrations were a success and he matured rapidly as an artist. He went on to illustrate all future Edgar Rice Burroughs books published during the author's lifetime - a total of over 125 illustrations.
On 12 December 1936 Jack Burroughs married Jane Ralston. They had three children, John Ralston Burroughs, Danton Burroughs, and Dian Burroughs. They were divorced in 1961. On 16 December 1961 Jack married his second wife, Mary. They divorced around 1972.
In June of 2003, Danton Burroughs opened a storage locker that had been sealed since his father's death in 1979. The room was packed with items that John Coleman had amassed throughout his very productive life: personal effects, letters, documents, books, photos, sketches, clothing, paintings, charcoals, artwork done for major Hollywood film studios, WWII propaganda art and handbook illustrations for Douglas Aircraft Co., etc.
There were also a great many items passed along from Jack's father, Edgar Rice Burroughs: military hat, favourite chair, film projector, a mold for creating head and shoulder statues of Edgar Rice Burroughs, photo albums, business documents, journals, favourite books, etc.. Photos of many of these items were taken as they were retrieved from the storage room. As Danton documents this mountain of material he is releasing material that he feels might be of interest to Edgar Rice Burroughs fans who visit the JohnColemanBurroughs.com Website.
[edit] Remembering my Dad: John Coleman Burroughs
I was fortunate enough to be born into a family which consisted of a world-famous author and an equally talented artist. Growing up surrounded by the many books and pieces of artwork that my grandfather and father created, I did not realize until later just how special this family was. My grandfather, of course, was Edgar Rice Burroughs, author of the Tarzan novels, and his son (my father) was John Coleman Burroughs, who ably provided the illustrations for many of my grandfather's books. John Coleman Burroughs -- or "Jack" as he was fondly called by the family -- was born in Chicago on February 28, 1913, the youngest of three children. From an early age, my father showed signs of becoming an exceptional artist, and my grandfather -- an excellent cartoonist in his own right -- nurtured that talent. He went on to illustrate all his father's novels from 1937 on. He also illustrated the John Carter Sunday newspaper strip, a David Innes of Pellucidar comic book feature and numerous Big Little Book covers. He wrote a string of short stories with my uncle Hulbert and with my mother Jane Ralston, who also his assisted him in the artwork, lettering and served as model for the heroines he drew. Dad's solo novel, Treasure of the Black Falcon was published in 1967 by Ballantine Books. Sadly, his creative powers were sapped by Parkinson's Disease in his final years.
[edit] References
- The Worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs, material by Bill Hillman and Danton Burroughs
- John Coleman Burroughs site, by Danton Burroughs
