16 March 2010

Roots and lies and love


And now that I know her reasons for writing so lovingly the story of the 100 lady inkers and painters, "the white-gloved esprit de corps" who "work(ed) from dawn to dusk on thousands of cels that brought his dreams to life," I quietly think, "Where will I find the story?"

"...there were never more charming assembly-line cogs than inkers and painters, in their rayon print dresses, pearls, and heels, or the high-waisted, flared pants and slip-ons that Katharine Hepburn had made fashionable. Their makeup was perfect, too—drawing a fine line around their eyes and lips was easy compared with refining the taper in Pluto’s tail. Occasionally, the Camera department would complain that dandruff or angora from a sweater would appear “like snow on the screen,” and thus silky pongee smocks eventually became common to avoid mishap. Yet the defining touch may have been the thin, white cotton gloves they customized by cutting off the thumb and first two fingers on their working hand, which made them appear so ladylike." Coloring the Kingdom, Patricia Zohn

Snow White here, and here, and here, too.

3 comments:

jasonwclark said...

No way - She danced the Blue Fairy and the Hippo as well? This gal is too cool! Great find

Martha Moore Porter said...

My great aunt used to work as an inker for Mr. Disney himself! She is a lovely artist today. Snow White has always been my favorite--one of the few true brunettes! xo

jezebel said...

MMP, I need to know more. And you know how I feel about brunettes...!