Willard H. George (1889-1956) was a Los Angeles, California based furrier who designed, created, and supplied furs to movie studios during the Golden Age of Hollywood (1920s-1960s). George was the son of Sadie Kiel George, and great-grandson of early Las Vegas, Nevada settler Conrad Kiel, owner of the Kiel Ranch in North Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Washington University College of Art, located in St. Louis, Missouri, was founded in 1879. In 1878, Wayman Crow, one of the founders of Washington University, sought to dedicate a new museum to his late son, Wayman Crow, Jr. To accompany the museum, the University also created an independent school, creating the St. Louis School and Museum of Fine Arts, the first art school west of the Mississippi River. In 1906, the museum moved to Forest Park and was rededicated as the St. Louis Museum of Fine Arts.