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(Walt Disney Studios, 1941) Early original concept painting by Mary Blair for Dumbo, which shows baby Dumbo poking his head from the window of his circus train car at the start of the film. Painted with neutral colors of white, black, and gray, the scene evokes a feeling of the unknown, one partially broken by the curious face of the young elephant, whose wide eyes and oversized ears seem piqued by this first encounter with rainy weather. Accomplished in tempera on 8 x 8 artist’s board. In fine condition, with pin holes to the corners.
Blair (1911–1978) was a concept artist for Disney during the 1940s and early 1950s, working on designs for such films as Peter Pan, Cinderella, and Alice in Wonderland. In 1940, she joined the Walt Disney Studio and worked on a number of projects, including the ‘Baby Ballet,’ a never-produced segment for a proposed second version of Fantasia, and her first full-length Disney picture, Dumbo.
As part of her study and research, Blair and her fellow artists were not only sent on field trips to circuses, but Disney also organized for circus tents and animals to be brought into Walt Disney Studios for reference. After leaving Disney to work in advertising, Blair returned to the studio when she was hired to create designs for several Disney attractions (including It's a Small World), and her largest work ever, the multi-story mosaic in Disney World's Contemporary Hotel concourse. A touching and important concept piece that dates to the nascency of Blair’s tenure at Disney.
