Today's Tidbit... 1940 Lon Keller Program Covers

I wrote about Lon Keller and his role in developing football program art and added another story after acquiring a catalog of his football and other sports posters. I recently picked up a circa 1940 catalog offering his program artwork.

XX1940 Don Spencer Progam Cover Catalog, p. 1 Cover

If you want to understand Lon Keller's position in the pantheon of football cover artists, check out the first article mentioned above since I will not repeat it here. Nevertheless, below are five blank covers from the catalog paired with covers found in the wild during the 1940, 1941, and 1942 seasons.

The first image is a classic passer preparing to throw. Since the image is from 1941, he probably played halfback or fullback rather than quarterback, but the Cottom Bowl liked it enough to use it for their cover.

This cover mixes artwork and photography, a new process at the time. The player looks more like he played for Chicago’s team -Northwestern- rather than the Bears or Cardinals.