The Dangerous Angel

Amos Sewell (1901-1983) is an American illustrator best known for his depictions in popular 20th-century pulp magazines. He had a special connection with children and enjoyed drawing rural scenes. Born in Oakland, California, Sewell started out as a ranked amateur tennis player. He was employed as a banker during the day and took art classes at night at the California School of Fine Arts for about eight years. In 1930 he moved to New York by working on a lumber boat travelling through the Panama Canal. In New York City, Sewell took classes at The Art Students Leaque and the Grand Central School of Art. He studied under such famed teachers as Guy Pene Du Bois, Harvey Dunn, and Julian Levi. During this time, Sewell began to draw black and white dry-brush illustrations for popular pulp magazines. Despite the challenges of the Great Depression, Sewell was able to establish himself as a financially stable artist during the early to mid-20th century. He received regular work from advertising agencies and magazines throughout the city, including his first major manuscript for The Country Gentleman in 1937. Sewell also created numerous covers for The Saturday Evening Post, as well as completing various other assignments for publications such as Woman's Day, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, Liberty, and Coronet.