This is an original and scarce, James Kenneth Ralston, pen and ink cartoon, advertisement drawing for Snook Art Co. Billings, Montana and dating to circa 1930-1940’s. J.K. Ralston (American 1896-1987) was an accomplished painter of the Old American West who was born in Choteau, Montana in 1896, during the 19th Century. Ralston’s works are on display at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, the Western Heritage Center, the Montana Historical Society, and the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument Museum. This example is an original pen and ink drawing of an advertisement for Snook Art Co. (Snook Trading Post) in Billings, Montana, which is signed in the artwork, “JK Ralston”. This example shows a Billings house that has caught fire and three teams of Firefighters unsuccessfully fighting the fire with old pumps and a nearby bird saying, “Why Not Give The Boys Some Up-To-Date Equipment?. At the top left corner is a billboard, which reads “Pittsburgh Paint Products Snook Art Co. Billings Montana”. Various graphite markups can be seen. The original cartoon advertisement, pen and ink drawing had been examined by the Western Heritage Center in Billings, Montana and by Wally Badgett, a cartoonist; it was found to be authentic and the only known examples of cartoons done by J.K. Ralston, making them very scarce. They were valued at over $6,000 apiece. The artwork is done on paper and measures 11”x7 7/8” (currently displayed on shrink-wrapped matte board). The pieces were part of the original, 2001 Snook Estate Auction and were mentioned as being part of the sale by the Billings Gazette. Original JK Ralston Artwork is immensely collectible and valuable, with this being one of only four known cartoon advertisement pieces ever produced by his hand—a truly important piece of Montana’s History.