The third railroad represented by George Sisk was the Chicago, Aurora and Elgin, which got its start as the Aurora, Elgin and Chicago. It changed its name when it came out of bankruptcy in 1922, and Samuel Insull took it over in 1926.
Click any image to download a PDF of that blotter.
The signature on this pin-up art is unreadable, but it has been attributed to Jerry T. N. Thompson. Thompson was an assistant to Earl McPherson, who made calendars for Brown & Bigalow. When McPherson was crippled by polio in 1951, Thompson took over the work.
The signature on this painting is clearly “Thompson,” as are the next two.
As a holiday gift to his clients, Sisk decided to substitute a drawing of himself in place of a pin-up girl for the January, 1956 blotter. I’m sure his customers appreciated it.
