In June of 2003, Danton Burroughs opened a storage locker that had been sealed since his father's death in 1979. The room was packed with items that John Coleman had amassed throughout his very productive life: personal effects, letters, documents, books, photos, sketches, clothing, paintings, charcoals, artwork done for major Hollywood film studios, WWII propaganda art and handbook illustrations for Douglas Aircraft Co., etc. There were also a great many items passed along from Jack's father, Edgar Rice Burroughs: military hat, favourite chair, film projector, a mold for creating head and shoulder statues of ERB, photo albums, business documents, journals, etc.. Photos of many of these items were taken as they were retrieved from the storage room (See Tarzana Trek: JCB Treasure Vaults) As Danton documents this mountain of material he is releasing material that he feels might be of interest to ERB fans.

Edgar Rice Burroughs knew the old American West first-hand as he experienced many adventrues as a cowhand, miner, mail rider, storekeeper, and US Cavalry trooper in the 1890s. In later years he shared this love of the West with his family by taking them on regular camping trips into the rugged American Southwest. This fascination with the "still uncivilized" West and its peoples provided inspiration throughout his writing career. Burroughs was a talented artist even before he turned to writing, and he documented much of what he observed in the West through sketches and cartoons -- and later, through photographs. 

All of these interests were passed along to and picked up by Ed's younger son, John Coleman Burroughs. Jack illustrated The Deputy Sheriff of Comanche County and the Western influence served him well in the artwork he created in illustrating the exotic locales of ERB's Venus, Mars and Tarzan novels. After his father's death, Jack spent much of his time in the West, where he specialized in Native American portraits and Western landscapes. His paintings and charcoals sold well so it is our good fortune that he put his skills as a photographer to good use and made photos of most of his work before it was sold. 

Among the JCB treasures unearthed by Danton are the black and white photos featured on this page. The first photo gives an indication of how he set up the canvases for the photo shoot at his home in Tarzana. We encourage the private collectors who own the original colour canvases to come forward to supply colour images of these works. The JCB Art galleries in the John Coleman Burroughs Tribute Site contain many more examples of his work.