Richard Black | |
|---|---|
| Born | Harry Richard Black October 10, 1921 Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | March 30, 2014(2014-03-30) (aged 92) Kettering, Ohio, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Landscape, paint portraits, illustrator |
| Notable work | Smokey Bear,Mr. Clean |
| Spouse | Virginia Black (died 2003) |
| Children | 3 |
Harry Richard Black (October 10, 1921 – March 30, 2014) was an Americancommercial artist,illustrator, and portraitist. Black created the originalMr. Cleanmascot forProcter & Gamble's household cleaner during the 1950s.[1][2]
Richard Black was born on October 10, 1921, inPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania.[1] He enrolled at Syracuse University, but left the school to enlist in theArmy Air Corps duringWorld War II.[1] He moved to Ohio after the war and opened an art studio inDayton.[1] He also taught art at both theUniversity of Dayton andSinclair Community College on a part-time basis for years.[1]
Black, who spent much of his career as a commercial artist, worked on projects for a number of companies, ranging fromFrigidaire toShell Oil. However, Black is best known for creating the widely recognizedMr. Clean commercialmascot.[1]Procter & Gamble contacted Black during the 1950s. He was tasked by P&G with creating a new mascot for a forthcoming household cleaning product, to be called Mr. Clean. Executives at Procter & Gamble described the new cleaner as being "likemagic" and envisioned the new product's mascot as agenie from a bottle.[1]
Procter & Gamble wanted Black to design a bald man (or genie) with a nose ring.[1] Black created two versions of the genie, one with a nose ring and one without the ring.[1] Procter & Gamble decided to use Black's image without the ring as Mr. Clean.[1] Mr. Clean products were first released to consumers in 1958.[1] A television and radio ad campaign, utilizing Black's Mr. Clean mascot, accompanied the launch of the product line.[1] The company still uses the Mr. Clean character in its marketing, as of 2014.[1]
In addition to his commercial work, Black was also alandscape artist and aportrait painter.[1] In 1956, one of his landscape paintings, complete with depictions of animals, was published inThe Saturday Evening Post.[1] An official from theUnited States Department of the Interior liked the painting. The Interior Department soon contacted Black and asked him to illustrate a character to promotewildfire prevention,Smokey Bear.[1] Black kept a life-sized Smokey The Bear statue on his front lawn at his home in Kettering.
Black died at his home inKettering, Ohio, on March 30, 2014, at the age of 92.[1] A member of the Fairmont Presbyterian Church, he was survived by his three sons, Richard, Christopher and Timothy, and seven grandchildren. His wife, Virginia Black, died in 2003.[1]