Obscurity of the Day: Guiding Lights

Another in our series spotlighting black-produced historical/inspirational features, Guiding Lights covers both bases in these two examples. This is Richard Brent's only known series and was produced for the New York Amsterdam News from August 6 1938 to March 30 1940. Brent had a great style, and frankly calling these cartoons might just be stretching the definition a tad. My source scrapbook had just these two examples, but they are very effective in showing both his excellent straight illustration work as well as an appealing art deco sensibility.