| Ben left school at the age of fifteen and worked as a salesman in his fathers business for several years, while teaching himself to be an artist. He helped promote the business by giving every person that placed an order-no matter how small- an original painting. His career began by exhibiting a trompe l'oeil painting (the artistic ability to depict an object so exactly as to make it appear real) called "A Day's Hunt" that received attention in Philadelphia. However, Austrian's success came from his paintings of chickens. His painting of a newborn chick became the celebrated trademark of Bon Ami Cleanser nearly a century ago. |