Robert Childress (1915–1983) was an American illustrator, perhaps best known for his work in the classic

Dick and Jane ''Dick and Jane'' are the two protagonists created by Zerna Sharp for a series of basal readers written by William S. Gray to teach children to read. The characters first appeared in the ''Elson-Gray Readers'' in 1930 and continued in a subseq ...

books for children.Norman Rockwall Museum bio of Childress
/ref> He used his wife and children as models for some of the characters. He studied architecture at

Clemson University Clemson University () is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university near Clemson, South Carolina, United States. - The blue-shaded pattern denotes university property. This shows Clemson University is ''out ...

, graduating in 1936. In the 1940s, he painted ads for clients such as

Duncan Hines Duncan Hines (March 26, 1880 – March 15, 1959) was an American author and food critic known for his restaurant ratings for travelers. He is best known today for the brand of food products that bears his name. Early life, family and education ...

, Campbell Soups, Coca-Cola,

Wonder Bread Wonder Bread is an American brand of sliced bread. Established in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1921, it was one of the first companies to sell sliced bread nationwide by 1930. The brand is currently owned by Flowers Foods in the United States. His ...

Bird's Eye Birds Eye is an international brand of frozen foods founded in the United States and now owned by Conagra Brands in the United States, by Nomad Foods in Europe, and Simplot in Australia. The former Birds Eye Company Ltd., originally named "Bi ...

, and GLF (Grange League Federation) which later became Agway. His works graced the covers of the nation's leading periodicals. He was commissioned to paint the portraits of several Deans at

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

, and U.S. Justice of the Supreme Court

James F. Byrnes James Francis Byrnes ( ; May 2, 1882 – April 9, 1972) was an American judge and politician from South Carolina. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the U.S. Congress and on the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as in the executive branch ...

. In the 1970s, he painted campus scenes of over thirty colleges and universities. Most of the original scenes hang in alumni offices around the country. The Norman Rockwell Museum acquired a permanent collection of his works in 2014.

References

Old Saybrook history entry on ChildressInterview with daughter Dr. Nancy Childress on New Hampshire Public Radio
20th-century American illustrators 1915 births 1983 deaths Clemson University alumni {{illustrator-stub