Albert Dorne*

Albert Dorne was born in 1906 in the slums of New York's East Side. From the time he was five years old, he wanted to be an artist. His dream stayed alive through a childhood ravaged by tuberculosis, heart trouble, and poverty.

After finishing seventh grade, Dorne quit school to support his mother, two sisters, and younger brother. Until he was 16, he worked days and nights at various jobs.

For a brief period, Dorne was a professional fighter, and then he had an unpaid apprenticeship with a commercial artist. He worked as a night clerk and practiced drawing during every free moment.

Through the 1930s and 1940s, he became the nation's highest paid and most in-demand advertising artist. The fact that so many aspiring artists needed help gave him an idea that culminated in the Famous Artists Schools.