Considering her glamorous position at the start of Hollywood classic films, you might assume that Columbia Pictures’ lady with a torch had pure Hollywood heritage. But the Columbia logo comes from right here in New Orleans.
The fact is, the goddess-like symbol of the century-old movie studio was modeled on a pregnant Times-Picayune page designer, who wore a makeshift toga and held aloft a light bulb as her picture was taken time and again by a newspaper photographer. Those shots would be used to guide a genius French Quarter artist as he painted the design.
Columbia’s lady with a torch has been around since about 1928. She’s always been a graceful icon, a Statue of Liberty minus the book and crown, bidding welcome to the huddled masses yearning to munch popcorn in front of a flickering silver screen.
Enter Michael Deas
At the start of the 1990s, the venerable Columbia Studios underwent corporate reshuffling and an updated lady with the torch was needed to lead the way into the future. Michale Deas, a gifted classical painter on the cusp of becoming one of the country’s most sought-after illustrators, got the job…