While we’ve been able to put together the remote and isolated kernels of information gathered in the dusty archives of census records and long forgotten microfiche to extrapolate an adjunct profile of the artist’s historical and cultural context, he himself has remained an enigma. Without any records of marriage or traceable offspring we’ve been left with wild speculation as a surrogate for facts in painting a picture of the child he was and the man he might have become.

To my elation and surprise, the flea market vendor who more than a decade ago acquired the bulk of this man’s collected worldly possessions informed me that an identification card from Beauparlant’s service in the Merchant Marines had surfaced in his basement. While this weathered and noticeably warped memento allows us to assign a face to, and perhaps offer additional clues into his life, it leaves more questions than answers. But for now, let us relish in this small moment of victory as we gaze into the eyes (and perhaps the soul) of our protagonist, Albert J. Beauparlant.

To follow this story from the beginning:
Albert J. Beauparlant
On the Shores of Wonder Lake
Mother, Father, Sister, Brother
Maps and Legends
The Lingering Question Mark of Beauparlant
The Weight Room
Gold Dust

The seller told us that the art had been purchased at an estate sale in Chicago. Evidently Beauparlant had a fascination with the military and had dies an old man with a house absolutely filled with military paraphernalia and souvenirs. Among his collection of guns, medals, and helmets were his childhood drawings, which show an amazing eye for detail, with a very crude technique. Needless to say, we both really thought they possessed a special quality to them and snapped up as many as we could. Even though we purchased a majority of the art, looking back I wish we would have purchased the collection as a whole. Since when did being broke hinder the serious art collector?

Anyway, this is my piece of the collection. Behold Beauparlant!

We can see what he wanted for Christmas.

And his dream business. Make sure to view this next image up close in Flickr. Notice the attention paid to every small detail. Yet it still possesses the technical skill of a child. See what I mean? He even wrote the lettering in the store window backwards!

Here we see the first of the military themes.

This is the back of the army officer picture. March 192_?

While the art looks like that of a 10-year old, this piece shows fairly complex algebraic equations. This could have been an older siblings scrap paper, however throughout this collection we see so many examples of his school work.

Judging from the sign, I think I’ll look from on this side.

That’s a nice box for only $7.50.

Phrenology chart on the back.

This is one of the best examples of his signature, which also dates this piece to 1929. Check out all the writing on the nose of the plane.

27 notches? I got 30, you pussy.

Look closely at the right-hand side of this drawing. It’s a scale showing the size of a large plane.

Simply awesome.

Makes you want to be a cop, eh?

The above piece was drawn on the back of a real estate solicitation letter from 1929. Evidently, while the Beauparlant family was living in Chicago they were being offered new development property on Lake Michigan.We can also see that his father’s first initial was “A.” This might indicate that Albert was a “Jr.”

In the next 4 close up images, notice the detail given to the diving apparatus. It looks almost fully functional, and probably was based on the technology of the time (or at least the technology shown to a child).

This is one of my favorite pieces in the collection. Make sure to read all the text.

The back offers us some parting words of wisdom. “Why turn aside a help that thousands of intelligent mothers have used to bring up fine children?”

More to come…

There are many other websites and references to Haning’s work online, and he even temporarily had an entire Wikipedia page devoted to his story and subsequent art. While the page has since been removed, thankfully it was archived by Answers.com and listed below. While I am fortunate to own a number of Haning original poster prints, I found an ample supply of well-taken photographs on Flickr that were used below (Photo credits/links associated with each picture can be found in our flickr account).

The first thing you’ll notice when looking at the images below is that the writting bears a strong resembalance to our logo. You’ve got a good eye and perhaps a good memory! In fact, it is the hand-wrtiting of Mr. Haning. We “borrowed” a few choice letters and arranged them to suit our needs (and our message). Anyway, aside from the prophetic messages contained in the words, I am more drawn to the rough, calligraphic element of his writing style and his connection between images and words. These are some of my favorite images. More can be found by clicking on the images or browsing the links at the bottom.

Posters by David Bradbury Haning.

The Wisdom of Mr. Haning, by Which We Choose to Live Our Lives:

Haning on consciousness: “I put everything inside your head. Nothing is seen, everything has been seen. Not everything is heard, because the voices are in your head. Everything you see, hear and feel is already inside you. Conversation is in your head.”

On politics: “Jesus Christ is going to kill the President so everyone can go back to Heaven.”

On Kurt Cobain: “Most people can’t see Kurt, but he’s still here.”

On religion: “Jesus Christ hates makeup. Jesus Christ loves ribbons and braids with barets.”

On love: “Love is the only true feeling. Blame Jesus.”

For more info, check out:

http://www.answers.com/topic/david-bradbury-haning - the content from the wikipedia entry

http://haning.blogspot.com/ – Blog dedicated to DBH and his posters. Includes interview and background info (and evidently author has conducted a video interview)

Flickr: DBH – Collected pictures and images of posters (where images above were harvested)