David Wright (artist)

David Wright (12 December 1912 – 25 May 1967) was a British illustrator who drew a series of "lovelies" that epitomised female glamour during World War II. He also created the Carol Day cartoon strip for the Daily Mail in 1956, creating a soap opera style of comic strip that paralleled similar work in the USA.

A c. 1965 Carol Day daily comic strip panel by David Wright (strip #2795), © Patrick Wright. Carol and a beau are shown.

However, it is his series of 169 illustrations for The Sketch magazine (from 1941 to 1951) that became most popular. In the 1950s he continued drawing in a similar style for Men Only.

Wright started work at his uncle's studio after leaving school, later becoming the fashion illustrator for a number of women's magazines. He was commissioned in 1941 to draw a series of glamorous women for The Sketch, most of whom were modelled on his wife Esme. The illustrations established him as one of the most popular pin-up artists during World War II. During the war he worked as a driving instructor for the armed forces in Abersoch, Wales, which left him plenty of time to continue his illustration work.