1971 Conoco Oil Annual Report

     Walter DuBois Richards's illustrations can be found in pamphlets, brochures, programs, and in this case an Annual Report for the petroleum giant Continental Oil Company in 1971.

     Wally produced five wonderful watercolors for the 1971 report.

  
    Wally did a considerable amount of commercial art for Conoco over several decades.  It is possible that the marketing director at Conoco was familiar with Walter's work and may have asked him to do this series for the Annual Report.    

     When this annual report came out, Conoco was expanding rapidly into a global force with over $2.3 billion in assets.

     Conoco seems to be stressing they are an environmentally-conscience company, which I can neither confirm nor deny.  One thing is clear, these are beautiful watercolors by Walter D. Richards.

Boys' Life Magazine, June 1965: "The Image"

     Many of Walter DuBois Richards' illustrations were composed in black and white, like the one below.  This may be a lithograph, or at least drawn in lithographic crayon.  However, it is probably done in pen and ink or even pencil.    
     In this illustration, Wally does a good job finding the essence of the harrowing experience of the hunter that this short story is based on: escaping a forest fire.  

Boys' Life, June 1965.  Story "The Image" by A.B. Guthrie Jr.  

     The story seems rather fanciful.  A hunter in Lolo Forest outside Missoula, Montana finds himself running from a raging forest fire, only to discover he is being followed by a trail of wildlife; a grizzly, a bull elk, two black bears, a mule deer, a snowshoe rabbit, and two fool hens.  
     Whether or not it is true, the short story is entertaining enough to keep the reader reading on.  Written by A.B. Guthrie Jr..