Opinions

Douglas Allen's artwork and Alaska's beloved grizzly plate

The State of Alaska's Division of Motor Vehicles just reintroduced the standing grizzly license plate, modeled after the 1976 bicentennial design. This design proved to be the most popular license plate design in Alaska's history. However, what DMV failed to do in bringing back the design was to right a wrong and recognize the artist, Mr. Douglas Allen. Mr. Allen is a nationally recognized wildlife artist whose original pen-and-ink drawing of the bear was used without either his knowledge or his permission, both in 1976 and again this year.

The bicentennial design has always been my most loved Alaska license plate, ever since it was first issued in 1976, because it featured a piece of Allen's artwork that I recognized. He has been my favorite pen-and-ink wildlife artist since 1962, when I first became aware of his incredible talent. He created 74 pen and ink illustrations for the copyrighted book, "Outdoor Life, The Complete Book of Hunting" by Clyde Ormond, published in 1962 by Outdoor Life, Harper & Brothers, New York. On page 111 of that book is the exact illustration used for the standing grizzly license plate design on the bicentennial plate (identified in the book as an Alaska brown bear).

DMV failed to give Mr. Allen the recognition he deserved as the artist behind this plate design. A bigger question is: How did DMV obtain the bear artwork in the first place? I often wondered why a nationally revered wildlife artist wasn't being recognized for designing the major focal point of this special edition bicentennial plate. Would DMV have promoted the design had Norman Rockwell been the artist? Something just didn't seem right.

Keep reading: Alaska must right an old wrong, honor license plate grizzly's artist

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