Ernest Henderson
Ernest Henderson (born c. 1906) was an artist, cartoonist, teacher, gallery owner and art director for The Birmingham News.
Henderson graduated from the first class at Phillips High School in 1924 and went on to study at Chicago's Academy of Fine Arts. He created several comic strips for syndication, including "Over Here—Over There" which recalled World War I in 1927–28, and the aviation-themed "Flying to Fame", which ran from 1928 to 1933.
He operated Henderson's Fine Arts, a downtown art gallery and frame shop where he sold damaged and faded paintings that he bought in Europe and restored. After retiring, he donated most of his unsold works to the Homewood Public Library.
As an instructor at Birmingham-Southern College, Henderson taught aspiring cartoonist Charles Brooks.
Henderson's large-scale industrial murals adorned the Downtown Club and Essex House. A 1954 depiction of the newly-opened $2 million Alabama Highway 269 bridge in Ensley (now called the Don Drennen Overpass) was found in 2011 at the vacant Bank of Ensley building.
References
- Ellaby, Liz (June 20, 2011) "Found Henderson painting spotlights Ensley’s past" 1731 Blog Avenue
External links
- Flying to Fame 1928 strips at barnaclepress.com