Isn’t the Internet amazing? A few years ago, I bought an offbeat Des Moines newspaper comic starring Charles Schulz’s Peanuts characters, illustrated by a cartoonist named Bob Davenport. Eventually, I scanned it and put it online. Then I heard from relatives of the artist who pointed me to more of his work.
And now I’ve heard from Paul Vandendael, who discovered some murals drawn by Sgt. Bob Davenport in a building in Reims, France in 1945–a building that was intended to be a hotel, but turned into an apartment building. Searching for information on Davenport, he found my site.
The murals are exuberant, earthy, at least somewhat offensive–and fun. And they’re in surprisingly good shape, although at least one looks to be either unfinished or missing part of itself.
Here they are–in the pre-Web days, what would the chances have been that any of us would have ever seen ‘em?
Nice work. I like the first one, in an early draft of the style of some memorable 7-Up ads (print and video) of a few years later. The cowboy one looked good, too. Pity about the plastering.
Wow, those are really great.
I love this type of art, and somehow the fact that it’s lived somewhere and been beat up on makes it all the more magical- digital art is too polished some days.
The style’s classic. Thanks for sharing!
I am currently in the building and they are even more beautiful in person.
I stumbled on this Lost French Murals of Bob Davenport. It looks like something my Uncle Bob D. may have done during his overseas service in the US Army. At the moment I can’t verify that he was in Reims, France in 1945, but he was serving in France during that time and the signature depicted is exactly as he signed his work in those days. I’ve never heard of these murals before and will circulate the photos amongst the family. I will email a photo of a 1939 illustration I have which clearly shows the Bob Davenport signature.
hello,
Ihave 2 pencil drawings by an artist named bob davenport. i am trying to find information about him and also get an ides of the value of the drawings. one is summer and the other is winter illustrating the same scene. i am from des moines, iowa and this is where i came across the drawings. when i got them they were framed and matted. vwery nice except maybe some yellowing of the paper, almost looks like they are drawn on manilla paper…. any help you can give would be appreciated.