In 1970, internationally renowned artist Bill Nelson created The Lon Chaney Portfolio, an exquisitely rendered series of black and white illustrations devoted to Hollywood's beloved "Man of a Thousand Faces."
The collection showcased portraits from many of Chaney's most memorable films, including The Phantom of the Opera, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, London After Midnight, The Penalty and Laugh, Clown, Laugh. At the time, Nelson had made a name for himself providing standout cover art and interior illustrations for such genre magazines as Cinefantastique, The Monster Times, Gore Creatures, Midnight Marquee and Photon, though in years to come, his work would appear in Time, Newsweek, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Esquire, both the Los Angeles and New York Times, and even on a series of postage stamps dedicated to famous Big Band orchestra leaders for the United States Postal Service.