Herbert Morton Stoops
American, 1888-1948
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Herbert Morton Stoops was an American illustrator, who sometimes signed his work simply "HM" and sometimes "HM Stoops". Born in 1887 on a ranch in Logan City, Utah, he took art classes at Utah State College, and drew his first illustrations for a local newspaper. From 1910, he was staff artist at the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Francisco Examiner. During his San Francisco days, he was the last to illustrate the comic feature starring the dog 'Alonzo' for the San Francisco Call during its last months in 1912. Previous artists were Ralph Yardley, Paul Terry, John Terry and Jim Navoni.
By 1914, Stoops moved to Chicago to study at the Art Insitute, and to work at The Chicago Tribune. He served in France as a first lieutenant during World War I, and sent drawings from his sketchbook back to the home front. After the war, he moved to New York City and became a productive story illustrator for magazines like Colliers, Liberty, Cosmopolitan, McCall's, Blue Book and Ladies Home Journal. He also painted covers for The American Legion Magazine and Blue Book. After a period of failing health, Stoops passed away in his art studio in 1948.