Cool illustrations: The New Human Interest Library (Part 7)

With this installment of illustrations from 1929's The New Human Interest Library, we enter the section of the book titled "The Do-It-Yourself Book (Elementary Projects)," which kicks off with a chapter called "Drawing Made Easy." These first four illustrations are by the wonderfully named Cobb Shinn. His full name was Conrad (Cobb) X. Shinn, and he lived from 1887 to 1951. According to askART, Shinn was primarily known as a postcard artist. He was a native of Indiana who worked as a camouflage artist during World War I. He was known for "humorous postcards, in particular a series called 'Whazzer Mazzer,' which featured well-known Indianapolis landmarks, but drawn in a distorted way, as they might appear to drunks."

Extensive information about Shinn can be found at a 2010 post on the ephemera blog "Tattered and Lost." There, you can find out about his work with Ford Motor Company, his illustrations for Little Black Sambo, his work as a pioneer with "clip art" and photographs of a turtle drinking milk.

In these illustrations from The New Human Interest Library, Shinn shows how to draw Jack-In-The-Pulpits, dandelions, carnations and rose buds.