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| Formerly | Harry Volk Jr. Advertising (1948-1952) Harry Volk Jr. Art Studio (1952-1971) Volk Corporation (1971-1979) Volk Clip Art (1979-1996) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Advertising, Illustrations |
| Founded | 1948 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States |
| Founder | Harry Volk Jr. |
| Defunct | 1996 |
Key people | Harry Volk Jr., Thomas B. Sawyer |
| Products | Illustration booklets |
| Owner | Harry Volk Jr. |
Volk Clip Art, Inc., better known as the Harry Volk Jr. Art Studio, was an advertising art studio specializing in artwork meant to be sold for commercial use in print. Using a subscription based service, designers and journalists had the option to be sent monthly booklets of free-to-use artwork within their own publications.[1] With the purchase of the service (or any specific booklet) came the permission to use the artwork included for any purpose, personal or commercial.[2] This opened the doorway for many smaller news outlets, designers, and businesses to add artwork to their print without having to hire their own illustrators. Volk booklets were available both by mail and in print shops.
History
[edit]Henry "Harry" Camblos Volk Jr. was born January 16th, 1910 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[3] Being the son of a man in news advertising, Harry began his career as a journalist for the Atlantic City Press as well as the Miami Herald. Harrisburg Patriot News, Ventnor Town Crier, and The Boardwalker.[4][5] In 1948, Volk would have his own advertising agency, Harry Volk Jr. Advertising. With this, he would start selling "clip books," books of logos and artwork (known as "printer cuts" or "stock cuts") that can be used in periodicals and newspapers for a small fee beginning with the National Brands Clip Book that same year.[5] This would prove to be successful, and Volk would also sell clip books of other subjects such as trademarks and Christmas imagery.[6]
In 1952, Volk would rebrand to the Harry Volk Jr. Art Studio and begin to produce a consistent series of clip books illustrating various objects and people to be used for the same purpose. These clip books would be sold for 2.50 each[7] or sent to a subscriber as a set every month for a monthly five dollar fee.[1] Volk would hire various illustrators to contribute to the clip books, giving a substantial amount of creative freedom.[8] These illustrators identites would remain anonymous due to the nature of stock art. However, the identity of one of Volk's most used illustrators would surface later as Thomas B. Sawyer, a comic illustrator, screenwriter, and director during his interviews with author Leif Peng.[9][8] Though it's unknown when exactly Sawyer's work began and ended in Volk's books, his iconic, expressive style can often be identified on the cover and interiors of most of the booklets. Volk also reportedly employed his own daughter, Jeannemarie Volk, as an artist as well.
The illustrations within Volk's booklets would be widely used throughout the middle of the 20th century in anything between flyers to magazines. In 1971, the studio name would be dropped for the Volk Corporation, and in 1974 it would adopt its own logo. Subjects within the booklets would become more abstract, sometimes simply being "Danger" or "Worry-Fear" Certain proprietary styles and series would also be introduced such as "Zanies"; books which have silly characters in them, or "Grafika" which were books that had more contemporary, flat illustrations. By 1979, the company name was changed yet again to simply "Volk Clip Art."[10]
By 1984, Volk clip books fizzled out and March 30th of 1990 Harry Volk Jr. passed away at home.[4] The artwork included within these booklets would continue to be recycled and reused time and time again, included in later compilations of clip books by different companies[11] (though that directly went against the terms and conditions within Volk's books)[12] In 1996, the trademark of Volk would be canceled, officially marking the end of Volk Clip Art.[13] Due to its legally grey status, artwork pulled from Volk's books is still sold by various design firms and in clip art collections, often part of retro or vintage style compilations.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Here's How These Amazing New Spot Drawings Cut Ad Costs!. The Reporter of Direct Mail Advertising. Vol. 15. Hoke Communications, Incorporated. 1952-07-01. p. 17.
- ^ Monthly Services. Advertising Requirements. Vol. 3. Crain Communications, Incorporated. 1955-07-01. p. 48.
- ^ "Birth Certificate of Henry Camblos Volk Jr". Ancestry. 1910-01-16.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "Obituary of Harry Volk Jr". Press of Atlantic City. 1990-05-01. p. 27.
- ^ a b Adman Offers Art Service on Brand Ads. Editor and Publisher. Vol. 81. Duncan McIntosh. 1948-02-21. p. 60.
- ^ Offers Christmas Art. The Photo-Lithographer. Vol. 16. Dorland Publishing Company. 1948-11-01. p. 91.
- ^ Women: Clip Book of Ready-To-Use Art. Harry Volk Jr. Art Studio. 1954.
- ^ a b Sawyer, Thomas; Peng, Leif; Vlahovic, Ana-Marija (2022). The Art of the REAL Tom Sawyer. Today's Inspiration Press. p. 100. ISBN 0994866445.
- ^ Peng, Leif (2008-06-19). "Today's Inspiration: Tom Sawyer and Harry Volk". Today's Inspiration. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
- ^ Solenthaler, Bart (2019-11-21), Volk Clip Art Book Covers 1954-1984, retrieved 2023-10-02
- ^ a b Goodspeed, Elizabeth (2023-03-06). "Clip art changed the way we view ourselves—and the world". Fast Company. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
- ^ Medicine: Clip Book of Line Art. Harry Volk Jr. Art Studio. 1966.
- ^ "Trademark Status & Document Retrieval". tsdr.uspto.gov. Retrieved 2023-10-02.