O
is notable because it was done from a
drawing based on a bust sculpture. Guy’s
engraving was effective in translating a
drawing made from a sculpture into a lifelike portrait (Figure 15).
In 1972 Guy engraved two remarkable
specials — a stunning portrait for an obscure
company and an unusual piece of artwork
for a famous company. For Elixir Industries, a small California firm being listed on
the New York Stock Exchange (hence the
need for a fully-engraved certificate), Guy
engraved Mrs. Roland Sahlm, the wife of
the chairman (Figure 16). This very unusual,
large portrait of a woman seated in a wicker
chair became one of the most notable portraits of Guy’s career.
The other vignette, the image of man in
an abstraction of concentric lines, was the
special for Exxon Corporation, engraved
from artwork provided by Exxon. It is
a good engraving of an unconventional
image (Figure 17). Because Exxon was a
widely-held company, and in the 1970s
holding stock certificates was not uncommon, Guy’s vignette was seen by many
Exxon shareholders. And, in fact, Guy
himself was pictured in a story about the
certificate published in the fall 1981 issue
of Exxon’s in-house magazine, The Lamp.
Another highlight of Guy’s career was
work done in 1981, when he engraved a
portrait of the founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc. This unusually large portrait
depicts Mary Kay wearing a fur, which
required very dense etching to achieve
the desired effect (Figure 18). The face is
a magnificent example of engraving, truly
P
15 Top portion of Oneida Ltd. specimen stock
certificate showing portrait of John Humphrey
Noyes. 16 Left hand portion of Elixir Industries
specimen stock certificate, 1972, with portrait of
Mrs. Roland Sahlm, engraved by Ken Guy. It is
one of his best and most interesting portraits.
17 Exxon Corporation special vignette.
Q
38 Financial History | Spring/Summer 2011 | www.MoAF.org