John Groth

[4] Groth began sketching intently during the Great Depression after studying at the Art Institute of Chicago.

"[5] His break came when Arnold Gingrich, an editor for Esquire magazine, approached him at an art show in Chicago and offered him a position.

"The way (Arnold Gingrich) told it," Groth says, "he found this barefoot, bearded kid in the park, and the next day made him art director of the world's leading men's fashion magazine.

"[2] Groth went on to illustrate such classic books as A Christmas Carol, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Grapes of Wrath, The War Prayer, and Gone with the Wind.

Deborah Churchman described Groth's work in a 1980 Washington Post article: "Groth's pictures center on the day-to-day life of people caught in terrifying circumstances – armies occupying cities, soldiers sweeping roads for land mines, bullfighters facing death."

Bernie Schonfeld, a photographer for Life Magazine said of Groth, "John is one of the gentlest people in the world, and he always gets himself into the wildest hell hole.

"[5] Starting in 1942, Groth taught a weekly class at the Arts Students League, where he passed on his skills to up and coming artists.