#keith ward

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Keith Ward (1906-2000), ''Professor Peckam's Adventures in a Drop of Water'' by George Malcolm-Smith, 1931

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One of my favorite fun historical through lines is that the original co-illustrator for Dick and Jane who also co-created the branding for Elmers Glue is also very likely the indirect but influential progenitor of a great majority of furry art and culture. and he doesn't even have a wikipedia page. The story is as follows:

A team of designers create Elsie the cow as the mascot of the Borden dairy company, later giving her a husband named Elmer in branding. Elsie was extraordinarily popular and was portrayed in tons of print advertising and even licensed media. The most well-remembered and beloved of these advertisements were done by a popularly unknown and uncredited illustrator named Keith Ward together with a great deal of other commercial illustrations

(Ward's early work in commercial illustration: children's books and advertising)

The scale of ward's contribution to Elsie and Elmer is somewhat murky, particularly since most credits go to the contributors with greater status at Borden. Personally, I see it as largely a collaboration between Ward and several unknown others under art director David William Reid.

(Ward's work vs Reid's work)

Elsie eventually fell out of popular consciousness after rebranding, but Elmer lives on as the mascot of Elmer's glue, originally a subsidiary of Borden as glue could be produced as a byproduct of industrial dairy. Modern Elmer's glue is synthetic, but retains the iconic mascot and design.

(Elmer's evolution from a more Ward-like design its current iteration)

Ward would later go on to illustrate for an American adaptation of Reynard the Fox by Harry J. Owens, again, miraculously uncredited on the cover. His name appears once, on the title page, and the lavish biography on the back of my copy fails to even mention the illustrations.

(Ward's work for the Scandalous Adventures of Reynard the Fox)

These works are particularly notable as much later, Ken Anderson of Disney was working on conceptualizing a Disney adaptation of Reynard, which is a very interesting and messy story for another time. In short, he and his team drew many inspirations from many many places, but with Ward being relatively more known and respected in the industry and having worked on a Reynard book in a similar style to what Disney wanted, his work was one of the most influential on the development of the film. The Reynard part was eventually scrapped (those who are familiar with the story and character will not be surprised), but a lot of the designs and even layouts were reused for Robin Hood. If you've ever wondered why they made him a fox, that's why.

(Bill Peet's and Ken Anderson's Reynards bear a striking resemblance to Ward's)

There's a lot more to the inspiration than just the designs, many plot points and layouts from Reynard, and their depictions by Ward, remain in Robin Hood (they unfortunately do not fit in this post). Its likely that finding such a clear starting point for their film in Ward's book had a hand in salvaging the Disney Reynard project and leading to the complete, although troubled, completion and release of Robin Hood.

And the rest is furstory! While there are certainly many other Disney animal features that have made their mark on the fandom, Robin Hood's influence is particularly notable for being the most popular of the most anthropomorphic animal-focused animations in contrast to the commercial underdogs of the Great Mouse Detective and many of Don Bluth's films, and more conventionally presented talking animals like those of the Aristocats and the Jungle Book. Isn't that interesting!

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Keith Ward illustrations for The Scandalous Adventures of Reynard the Fox (1945).

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The Island Stallion’s Fury by Walter Farley 1951 Random House, First Printing

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Keith Ward on No Salvation Outside the Church

Keith Ward, a prominent British philosopher of religion and former Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford, firmly rejects the traditional exclusivist doctrine of extra ecclesiam nulla salus (no salvation outside the church). Instead, he advocates for an "inclusive pluralism" that accommodates multiple religious paths to God.

The Theology of Keith Ward (1)The Transcendent Wisdom: Ward posits that God is the ultimate Wisdom and that this divine Wisdom is dimly perceived and accessed by all humans throughout history. (2)Christian Primacy without Exclusivity: While he allows for a positive salvific role for other traditions, he maintains that the Christian path—embodied by Jesus—"shows most adequately what God is."(3)Separating Truth from Salvation: Ward argues that acknowledging Christianity as the most adequate or clearest expression of truth does not mean one must condemn those of other faiths to damnation.

His Position within the Theology of Religions: In the study of religious diversity, Ward's work falls between traditional inclusivism (where non-Christians are viewed as "Anonymous Christians") and soft pluralism. He argues that a God of universal love would not limit eternal life solely to those who have explicit faith in Christ or are members of the visible Church.

Sources: Thinking Reed Blog, Augsburg Fortress Press & Cambridge University Press

Image & Photo: St. Mark's Sheffield

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Keith Ward on the Ascension of Jesus: Those who think that Jesus did not literally ascend through the clouds have in fact understood the deepest meaning of 'ascension'. For the presence of God is not in or above the sky. It is beyond this space-time altogether. Heaven is the presence of God, and those who exist in clear and full consciousness of God are 'in heaven'. Such an intense sense of God is rare in this earthly life, but most Christians believe that it is possible in the world to come, and in a realm which is not in this physical universe. Contemporary physicists often think that there could be universes beyond this space-time. It is to such a universe that Christ 'ascended'. It is one that we can scarcely imagine: it is not physical in the way this universe is, though it is described as glorious and imperishable. The ascension is Christ's transfiguration into a more glorious form of being, not Christ's rising into the air. For some, such a literal ascent would be an appropriate symbol of ascension, but others may think it is probably a metaphor of union with God, whether in this life or the life to come. (from The Mystery of Christ by Keith Ward, page 45) Vigil for the Commemoration of the Ascension of Christ, May 13 | Art: The Ascension by Giotto

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"I can give a precise day when Christ came to me and began to transform my life with his power and love." Keith Ward (from What the Bible Really Teaches)

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Jesus is the authentic expression of the way of truth, wisdom and love. All persons, wherever they live and whatever forms they take, are called to follow that way. Even if they do not know that Christ is the way, he is the one who calls and guides them. As Jesus was not recognized by the disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24.16), so Christ may come to many hidden and unrecognized. Yet as persons come near to God, perhaps beyond the veil of death, Christians believe that all shall see who it is that has accompanied them on their way. It is the Lord of glory, who was truly embodied in Jesus of Nazareth, the way, the truth and the life. (from The Mystery of Christ by Keith Ward, page 62) Art: Christ Appears on the Road to Emmaus from The Phillip Medhurst Collection