Socios by Tom Lea - Print

Socios – Tom Lea (1907-2001)
11" x 15"

Tom Lea was a painter, muralist, illustrator, and author best known for his depictions of the El Paso, Texas, region, and his World War II illustrations which appeared in Life magazine.

He worked with typographer and book designer Carl Hertzog, as well as the noted Texas writer J. Frank Dobie. These friendships led to numerous collaborations.  From 1941 to 1946, Tom Lea was a War Artist correspondent for LIFE magazine, traveling over 100,000 miles to theaters of war where American forces were involved, including the North Atlantic, the South Pacific aboard the USS Hornet … a trip to China where he met Theodore H. White, and the landing of the Seventh Marines on Peleliu.

After World War II, Tom Lea taught himself to write. After achieving success in the literary world, Tom Lea returned to the art studio, painting southwestern subjects and scenes from his travels to Mexico and other lands.