Don Hewlitt was born in England in 1904. When he was 3, his father emmigrated to the US , taking him along. His mother stayed in England. 2 years later she was able to join them and the family moved to Chicago, poor but together.
In 1924 he began to study at the Art Institute of Chicago. He wanted to do magazine illustrations and felt he had to move east to do so. By 1929 he was getting enough work to afford to open his own professional art studio at 145 East 26th Street in New York City.
In 1934 he was granted U.S. citizenship. His official documents describe him as five-foot-seven, one-hundred-and-forty-five pounds, medium complexion with brown hair and blue eyes.
His post-war illustration career was devoted to a few advertising clients, such as The Boy Scouts of America. He also created a permanent display of his paintings at Flag Plaza of Pittsburgh, PA. He remained an active member of the New York Society of Illustrators for the rest of his life.
Don Hewitt died in Flemington, NJ, at age ninety-four on December 11, 1998.
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original artwork for cover of Popular Complete Stories December1931
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