Minnie Holsinger, The Farmer's Wife 36, Country Gentleman Magazine, Charles Hargens

This is blog #36 of my on-going series sharing pages from the scrap book of Minnie Holsinger, compiled in the 30s and 40s while she and Grandpa Charlier were saving to buy a farm.

This painting, for an issue of Country Gentleman Magazine, is by Charles Hargens. Wikipedia sez:

“Charles William Hargens, Jr. (1893−1997) was an American painter. He created over 3000 covers for magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post, Collier's, Country Gentleman, Farm Journal, Boys' Life, The Open Road for Boys, along with advertisements for companies such as Coca-Cola and covers for over 300 books, including the Zane Grey Western novels of the 1930s and 1940s.

He worked for over 80 years and died on January 30, 1997, at 103 years of age. He is  buried at Glenside Cemetery in Montgomery County Pennsylvania.”

Minnie Holsinger, The Farmer's Wife 35, Country Gentleman Magazine, G. Kay, Gertrude Kay

This is blog #33 of my on-going series sharing pages from the scrap book of Minnie Holsinger, which she compiled in the 30s and 40s while she and Grandfather Charlie Holsinger were scrimping and saving to buy a farm.

This painting, for an issue of Country Gentleman Magazine, is by the mysterious artist known as “Kay”. The only likely artist I could find is “Gertrude Kay” (1884-1939). The dates almost match by Gertrude’s style is completely different than this artist’s.

Pinterest has several covers of CGM with covers credited to “G. Kay”. I can find no information about the artists which surprises me since s/he was quite prolific during this period.

Minnie Holsinger, The Farmer's Wife 34, William Meade Prince, Country Gentleman Magazine

This is blog #34 of my on-going series sharing pages from the scrap book of Minnie Holsinger, which she compiled in the 30s and 40s while she and Grandfather Charlie Holsinger were scrimping and saving to buy a farm.

This is the cover image to Country Gentleman Magazine, April 1940. It is by William Meade Prince, a frequent occupant of that plum position, and the second by the artist that I’ve found in Grandma Minnie’s scrap book. 

He committed suicide by shooting himself in November, 1951. I find this sad, purely for selfish reasons; he was quite good. On the other hand, he must have had his reasons, lost in the depths of time…

Minnie Holsinger, The Farmer's Wife 33, Hi Hintermeister, J.C. Leyendecker

This is blog #33 of my on-going series sharing pages from the scrap book of Minnie Holsinger, which she compiled in the 30s and 40s while she and Grandfather Charlie Holsinger were scrimping and saving to buy a farm.

More cuteness from Henry Hintermeister, from Country Gentleman Magazine in the 1930’s. I’m starting to go into sugar-shock here. Interesting paint-handling on the kids, almost Leyendecker-esque. By which I mean, the color shapes are really solid, almost geometric. And the backlighting makes everything pop (again like Leyendecker).

Minnie Holsinger, The Farmer's Wife 32, Hi Hintermeister

This is blog #32 of my on-going series sharing pages from the scrap book of Minnie Holsinger, which she compiled in the 30s and 40s while she and Grandfather Charlie Holsinger were scrimping and saving to buy a farm.

More cuteness from Henry Hintermeister. I presume this is a cover to an issue of Country Gentleman Magazine from the 1930’s.

Minnie Holsinger, The Farmer's Wife 31, Hi Hintermeister

This is blog #31 of my on-going series sharing pages from the scrap book of Minnie Holsinger, which she compiled in the 30s and 40s while she and Grandfather Charlie Holsinger were scrimping and saving to buy a farm.

This image is a cover to Country Gentleman Magazine from the late 30’ or the early 40’s. I can’t find any signature or bi-line. My semi-educated guess is Henry Hintermeister. He was into cute children and  puppies.

Minnie Holsinger, The Farmer's Wife 30, Robert Riggs

This is blog #30 of my on-going series sharing pages from the scrap book of Minnie Holsinger, which she compiled in the 30s and 40s while she and Grandfather Charlie Holsinger were scrimping and saving to buy a farm.

This image is a cover to Country Gentleman Magazine from the late 30’ or the early 40’s. The line under the image say’s “PAINTED BY ROBERT RIGS FOR THE COUNTRY GENTLEMAN COLLECTION OF MODERN AMERICAN PAINTERS”

My cursory initial search turned up this fascinating article on Riggs. Here’s the link:

https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/art/2015/03/26/tbt-massive-masculine-art-robert-riggs?page=full

I had assumed this painting was by John De Martelly until I read the by-line. It has a similar quality of mythic iconic simplicity as De Martelly, but gives a false impression of Riggs overall work which seems more homoerotic. I am reminded of Paul Cadmus, an American artist of the same period who’s work was somewhat more overtly queer.

Minnie Holsinger, The Farmer's Wife 29, Pauline Krueztfeldt

This is image #29 of my on-going series sharing the pages of the scrap book of Minnie Holsinger, which she collected in the 30s and 40s while she and my Grandfather Charlie Holsinger were saving to buy a farm.

https://picclick.co.uk sez:

“Pauline Kruetzfeldt -Artist

Birth place: Holstein, Germany Date unknown. 

Died Oct 29, 1960 Saratoga Springs NY

Lived in Fort Plain, NY and New York City, and Near Saratoga Springs NY

Profession: Painter, designer, illustrator

Studied: at New York City Art Students League with George Bridgman, Ben Foster.

Exhibited: Horticultural Soc. NY, 1930 (prize); S. Indp. A., 1931-32; Salons of Am., 1934; NGA; Carnegie Inst., 

1943; Albany Inst. Hist. & A., 1946; Munson-Williams-Proctor Inst.,Utica NY 1946; Nicola Squillaci Art Galleries , Schenectady Ny 1962.

 Illustrator, American Home, Better Homes & Gardens, Woman's Home Companion, 1936, Country Gentleman, 1937, other magazines.”

Today’s post is quite different than yesterdays floral arrangement by Nelson Grofe. 

Grofe’s painting, to my unsubtle eyes, could have been painted in the 17th or 18th century. I’m thinking Zubaran, or (new find while image hunting for this blog) Adriaen Coorte, a Danish 17th/18th still-life artist .

Ms. Kruetzfeldt is on a completely different trip, at least as far as this painting is concerned. The artist is going for a poster-like effect, almost as if designing for a quilt (made especially overt by placing a subtle grid over the red/orange background. One commonality with the earlier artists: the butterfly. Insects were a common symbol in old European still-lifes, referring to decay and the impermanence of all this in this profane world.

Just for laughs, here’s the only other work by Kruetzfeld that I was able to find on the web. 

Minnie Holsinger, The Farmer's Wife 28, Nelson Grofe

This is image #28 of my on-going series sharing the pages of the scrap book of Minnie Holsinger, which she collected in the 30s and 40s while she and my Grandfather Charlie Holsinger were saving to buy a farm.

This illustration is by Lloyd Nelson Grofe, listed on Ebay as a “Pennsylvania Impressionist”. That’s the same group or classification that Walter Emerson Baum (The Farmer’s Wife 20/21) was lumped into/ classified as. I could find no biography in my superficial internet search, except that examples of his illustration for “Country Gentleman Magazine” and “Country Life” are currently available on Ebay (Act Now!)

My late Grandmother Minnie was super-into paintings of floral arrangements, and you’ll be seeing many of them in the weeks to come.

Minnie Holsinger, The Farmer's Wife #27, Edmund Franklin Ward

This is image #27 of my on-going series sharing the pages of the scrap book of Minnie Holsinger, which she collected in the 30s and 40s while she and my Grandfather Charlie Holsinger were saving to buy a farm.

Wikipedia sez:

“Edmund F. Ward (January 3, 1892 – December 14, 1990)^[1] illustrated for the Saturday Evening Post and did his first illustrations for the magazine before turning age 20. He had a successful career as an illustrator of works that ranged in style and subject matter from dark tonalist in oils to humorous in wash and watercolor. For many years he illustrated the Alexander Botts and Assistant District Attorney Doowinkle stories for the Saturday Evening Post.^[2]

Ward studied at the Art Students League in the same class with Norman Rockwell. The two students became friends, and shared a studio in the attic of a Manhattan brownstone. ^[3] Among his teachers were Edward Dufner, George Bridgman and Thomas Fogarty. He later moved to the Manhattan suburb of New Rochelle, a well known artist colony and home to many of the top commercial illustrators of the day including friend Norman Rockwell.^[4][5] At the time more than fifty percent of the illustrations in the country’s leading publications were done by artists from New Rochelle.^[6] He spent his professional career in White Plains, where he painted a mural for the Federal Building. He was a longtime member of the Salmagundi Club, the Guild of Free Lance Artists, and was a member of the Society of Illustrators.^[7]”

^{I LOVE the color use (especially on the boy's face; the way it places pink against blue. In fact, most of the painting seems to be playing off pink against blue. Except for the ground at the boy's feet. On a side note, it fascinates me that E.F. Ward was completely unknown to me before researching this blog post, but Norman Rockwell is a major cultural icon. T'would be interesting to compare/ contrast the two for insights as to "how come"?}

Minnie Holsinger, The Farmer's Wife #26

This is image #26 of my on-going series sharing the pages of the scrap book of Minnie Holsinger, which she collected in the 30s and 40s while she and my Grandfather Charlie Holsinger were saving to buy a farm.

I assume this is the cover to an issue of Country Gentleman Magazine from the late 30’s or early 40’s. I can’t identify the artist. The signature in the lower right corner is unreadable. Any thoughts?

Spacenstein, Frankenstein, San Diego Comic Fest, C.A.P.S

This drawing was done Thursday, June 14, 2018 at the monthly meeting of C.A.P.S. (Comic Artist Professional Society) in Burbank, California. I call this character "Spacenstein". 

He was inspired by the meeting's topic of discussion, i.e., how CAPS could take better advantage of Conventions and a how Comic Book Convention organizers could make good use of CAPS. The evening's featured guest. Matt Dunford, organizer of the San Diego Comic Fest, an alternative to Comic Con International, which, in recent years, has come to treat Comic Books and their creators like poor cousins. Matt, when discussing how artists should bring ideas for interesting Panel to conventions, bragged about how the most recent SDCF was practically alone in the field for featuring celebrations attendant to the 200th Anniversary of Frankenstein.

Minnie Holsinger, The Farmer's Wife #25

This is image #25 of my on-going series sharing the pages of the scrap book of Minnie Holsinger, which she collected in the 30s and 40s while she and my Grandfather Charlie Holsinger were saving to buy a farm.

I assume this is the cover to an issue of Country Gentleman Magazine from the late 30’s or early 40’s. I can’t identify the artist. This is a very striking image, and I’d love to know the name of the artist.

Minnie Holsinger, The Farmer's Wife #24

This is image #24 of my on-going series sharing the pages of the scrap book of Minnie Holsinger, which she collected in the 30s and 40s while she and my Grandfather Charlie Holsinger were saving to buy a farm.

I assume this is the cover to an issue of Country Gentleman Magazine from the late 30’s or early 40’s. I can’t identify the artist. The painting is really cool, though.

Minnie Holsinger, The Farmer's Wife #23, Forrest C. Crooks

This is image #23 of my on-going series sharing the pages of the scrap book of Minnie Holsinger, which she collected in the 30s and 40s while she and my Grandfather Charlie Holsinger were saving to buy a farm.

This painting is signed by Forrest C. Crooks, about whom askart.com reports : “(1983-1982); … born in Goshen, Indiana in 1893.  His family moved to southern Michigan when he was 6 months old, and he lived in Michigan until he graduated from High School.  

“Forrest Crooks moved to Pittsburgh to pursue a career in art.  At the art school of Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie-Mellon), he earned his way with commercial art assignments and completed the four-year course in three years - in 1917.  He then moved to New York City to seek work as a magazine illustrator.  Over the years he illustrated stories for such eminent authors as Irving S. Cobb, Rudyard Kipling and Sir Winston Churchill.  His illustrations appeared in Cosmopolitan, Redbook… (He is) known for: stained glass design, weaving, painting, murals”

This painting is similar in subject matter to yesterday’s post, yet the difference is between night and day in my eyes. I can definitely see this artist designing stained glass. The colors are vibrant-yet-subtle, with a tendency towards flatness and abstraction. I can also see that this artist was in to textiles, the adoration of which seems to be the subject of this piece.

Minnie Holsinger, The Farmer's Wife #22

This is image #22 of my on-going series sharing the pages of the scrap book of Minnie Holsinger, which she collected in the 30s and 40s while she and my Grandfather Charlie Holsinger were saving to buy a farm.

I can’t identify this artist; The lower-left signature is undecipherable. This painting, more than any I’ve posted so far, smacks of a certain Victorianism; it could have been painted (though not reproduced in it’s then-present form) as early as 1870. It’s a matter of taste that I find this period somewhat repellant. 

This may seem as an unfair critique; why should an illustration from the period of the late 20’s/ early 30’s NOT be a product of it’s time? I agree; it’s surprising to me that I find so many of the illustrations that I’ve posted seem fresh and contemporary. (“Contemporary” isn’t the right word; they were probably nostalgic even in the time of their genesis.) I find myself drawn to them and the world they depict, whereas, with this one, I find myself wanting to move on, look away.

Minnie Holsinger, The Farmer's Wife #20/21, Walter Emerson Baum

These are images #20 & 21 of my on-going series sharing the pages of the scrap book of Minnie Holsinger, which she collected in the 30s and 40s while she and my Grandfather Charlie Holsinger were saving to buy a farm.

Today’s images are by Walter Emerson Baum; Grandma Minnie clipped more images by this artist than any other.  

Wikipedia sez: “… was an American artist and educator... In addition to being a prolific painter, Baum… found(ed) the Baum School of art and the Allentown Art Museum.

“Born in Sellersville, Pennsylvania, Baum was one of the few Pennsylvania impressionist artists actually born in Bucks County”. Interesting. So, apparently, Baum was part of a group called “Pennsylvania Impressionists”. On the basis of these two works, I’d call him more a  pre-Cubist; these paintings remind me of Paul Cezanne's, without the flattening of perspective.

Minnie Holsinger, The Farmer's Wife #19, Sarra

This is image #19 of my on-going series sharing the pages of the scrap book of Minnie Holsinger, which she collected in the 30s and 40s while she and my Grandfather Charlie Holsinger were saving to buy a farm

I hardly know what to make of this image. It seems to be a photograph of a well known 40’s character actor (who’s name I do not know), yet it is signed in the lower left by “Sarra”, about whom I can find no information on the web. I assume it’s a cover to “Country Gentleman”, but can’t find it on Ebay. Any body have information? Ideas?

Minnie Holsinger, The Farmer's Wife #18, John de Martelly

This is image #18 of my on-going series sharing the pages of the scrap book of Minnie Holsinger, which she collected in the 30s and 40s while she and my Grandfather Charlie Holsinger were saving to buy a farm.

No visible signature, but obviously the work of John de Martelly, BFF to Thomas Hart Benton.

I confess, I find great pleasure in this man’s work. There’s something serene, eternal and sculptural about depictions of farm life, as though he were revealing a mythic truth about human nature.

Minnie Holsinger, The Farmer's Wife #17, Matt Clark

This is image #17 of my on-going series sharing the pages of the scrap book of Minnie Holsinger, which she collected in the 30s and 40s while she and my Grandfather Charlie Holsinger were saving to buy a farm.

Here we see, once again, the skillful illustration stylings of Matt Clark (Farmer’s Wife #3), presumably for the cover of Country Gentleman Magazine..

Minnie Holsinger, The Farmer's Wife #16, Country Gentleman Magazine

This is image #16 of my on-going series sharing the pages of the scrap book of Minnie Holsinger, which she collected in the 30s and 40s while she and my Grandfather Charlie Holsinger were saving to buy a farm.

This is the cover of Country Gentleman Magazine, January 1941.

I have no information as to the identify of the artist of this painting. Any leads would be appreciated. Skillful use of light, color. I would judge it to be watercolor with some opaque paint worked into it.

Minnie Holsinger, The Farmer's Wife #15, William Meade Prince

This is image #15 of my on-going series sharing the pages of the scrap book of Minnie Holsinger, which she collected in the 30s and 40s while she and my Grandfather Charlie Holsinger were saving to buy a farm.

This painting is the cover image to Country Gentleman Magazine, August, 1936. It is by William Meade Prince. Walter Spearman, on the website ncpedia.org writes, “9 July 1893-10 Nov. 1951.

William Meade Prince, illustrator and author, was born in Roanoke, Va., the son of Robert Watson and Alice Wales Meade Prince. He was descended from Sir Richard Everard, the last governor of North Carolina under the Lords Proprietors, and from Bishop William E. Meade of Virginia.

At age five Prince moved to Chapel Hill and lived with his parents and his grandfather, Dr. William Meade, the Episcopal rector, until he was fifteen. After residing for a time in Birmingham, Ala., where he worked as a railway clerk, he moved to New York and studied at the New York School of Fine and Applied Arts (1913–15). There he won an illustration contest sponsored by Collier's magazine. His first illustration was done in black and white for a story by Harold Titus in Red Book in 1919. Prince illustrated the African American stories of Roark Bradford and stories for many magazines (Collier's, Saturday Evening Post, Red Book, Cosmopolitan ) by such authors as James Street, Phillip Wylie, Kathleen Norris, William Saroyan, and Arnold Bennett. He also did numerous advertising illustrations, including a series for Dodge cars.

In the 1930s Mr. and Mrs. Prince moved from their home in Westport, Conn., to Chapel Hill, and he became a lecturer in The University of North Carolina's Art Department, serving as head of the department during World War II. He made drawings and posters for the Committee to Defend America, the American Field Hospital Corps, and the USO, painting portraits of wounded soldiers and sailors. In 1942 Prince created the Sunday comic strip "Aladdin, Jr." He acted in several plays of the Carolina Playmakers with his wife Lillian and played Ananias Dare in Paul Green's outdoor drama, The Lost Colony.

In 1950 he wrote and illustrated a popular book about his experiences growing up in Chapel Hill, entitled The Southern Part of Heaven. A series of wood carvings of a circus parade by Carl Boettcher, based on his illustrations in the book, was installed at the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill for a time, but in 1992 the carvings were moved to the new George Watts Hill Alumni Center. His series of portraits of university presidents and professors is also owned by the university.

In November 1951 Prince shot himself in the studio of his home in Chapel Hill. He was survived by his wife, Lillian Hughes, of Birmingham, Ala., whom he married on 24 Nov. 1915 and who died in New York in 1962. He was buried in the Chapel Hill Cemetery.

Prince was a member of the Chapel Hill Town Planning Board, State Planning Board, Building and Grounds Committee of The University of North Carolina, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Southern States Art League, North Carolina Artists Association, Sons of the American Revolution, Society of Illustrators, Artists and Writers Association, Players Club of New York, and Chapel Hill Country Club. In politics, he was a Democrat.”

www.comicskingdom.com reproduces several examples of Prince’s short-lived “Aladdin Jr. comic strip which ran between January 4 1942 to November 21, 1943.http://comicskingdom.com/blog/2016/05/05/ask-the-archivist-aladdin-jr

Minnie Holsinger, The Farmer's Wife #14, Phil Dike (?)

This is image #14 of my on-going series sharing the pages of the scrap book of Minnie Holsinger, which she collected in the 30s and 40s while she and my Grandfather Charlie Holsinger were saving to buy a farm.

I speculate that this is the same artist who executed the watercolor posted in Farmer’s Wife #13. I’d judge that this work has some gouache (opaque watercolor) involved as well. Phil Dike? Probably not, but whatever signature there might have been was unceremoniously cropped into oblivion 70+ years ago.

Although I am frustrated by the crudity of preservation involved in my late grandmother’s scrapbooking enterprise, it would be churlish of my to complain; at least SOMETHING was saved, diligently, over a period of years and changing (and possibly challenging) circumstances. Plus, I can only imagine the conditions  under which she worked. I assume she didn’t work with an Exacto knife and a straight edge. Did she cut everything out with scissors? Were they the same scissors she used in the sewing and mending? It was the Depression, after all, and new clothes were an infrequent luxury. Mother has reported that the family never went without, but there weren’t a lot of frills. I’m surprised they splurged on a multi-year subscription to Country Gentleman Magazine.

Minnie Holsinger, The Farmer's Wife #13, Phil Dike (?)

This is image #13 of my on-going series sharing the pages of the scrap book of Minnie Holsinger, which she collected in the 30s and 40s while she and my Grandfather Charlie Holsinger were saving to buy a farm.

I can’t find a signature and the bottom gutter doesn’t have any type on it. I venture to guess that this painting is by Phil Dike (it’s a watercolor, after all), though I could easily be wrong. The example posted in “Farmer’s Wife #11) is much freer, more bravura. This piece is tightly controlled, skillful though it may be.

Actually, upon reflection, I conclude that it looks nothing like the Dike painting, is by a completely different artist, and am embarrassed that I briefly thought they were by the same hand.

Minnie Holsinger, The Farmer's Wife #12, John de Martelly

This is image #12 of my on-going series sharing the pages of the scrap book of Minnie Holsinger, which she collected in the 30s and 40s while she and my Grandfather Charlie Holsinger were saving to buy a farm.

The artist is named on the orange bottom-gutter. John de Martelly. Was he doing Thomas Hart Benton, or the other way around? There are differences: de Martelly is more solid, architectural. Benton is more fluid, distorted, having the feel of an El Greco painting. Also Benton dealt frankly with heterosexual sex (as frankly as one could in those days). The few examples of de Martelly I’ve seen have scarcely a whiff of sexuality to them. 

Minnie Holsinger, The Farmer's Wife #11, Phil Dike

This is image #11 of my on-going series sharing the pages of the scrap book of Minnie Holsinger, which she collected in the 30s and 40s while she and my Grandfather Charlie Holsinger were saving to buy a farm.

This stunning watercolor was by Phil Dike, painted for the cover of Country Gentleman Magazine. Quoting “California Watercolors 1850-1970” (as quoted on californiawatercolor.com) “Phil Dike, N.A. (1906-1990) Born: Redlands, CA; Studied: Chouinard Art Institute (Los Angeles), Art Students League (New York), American Academy (France); Member: National Academy of Design, American Watercolor Society, California Water Color Society, Philadelphia Water Color Club. Phil Dike was born and raised in Southern California. In 1923, he was awarded a scholarship to study at the Chouinard Art Institute and received instruction from F. Tolles Chamberlin and Clarence Hinkle. He continued his art education in New York City studying with George Bridgman, Frank Vincent DuMond and George Luks. After returning to California in 1929, he began teaching at the Chouinard Art Institute and was one of the first artists to develop what became known as the California Style of watercolor painting.

In the early 1930s, he continued teaching and painting and took further studies in Paris. His watercolors were being exhibited in museum shows throughout America and he was receiving wide acclaim and numerous awards. By 1935, he was also working at the Walt Disney Studios where he taught art and color theory while working on animated films. Among the many classic films he worked on were Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasia and The Three Caballeros. In 1938, Dike served as president of the California Water Color Society.

After World War II, Dike left Disney and went back into teaching and painting full time. He and Rex Brandt formed the highly successful Brandt-Dike Summer School of Painting and during regular school months, he taught at the Chouinard Art Institute. It was at this time that Dikes watercolors became more modern looking. He began using calligraphy in very creative ways and incorporating geometric abstractionist ideas into his work.

Through the 1950s and 1960s, he was a Professor of Art at Scripps College and Claremont Graduate School. He was an inspiration to many well-known artists who came out of these schools, and was honored with the title of Professor Emeritus when he retired. In addition to living in Claremont and painting at Balboa Bay, Dike also built a second home in Cambria on the central California coast. Harbors, driftwood, figures on the beach and dramatic rock formations all became subjects for his many abstract watercolors of this era. Dike is remembered as a thoughtful, caring teacher and is one of the main innovators in the development of the watercolor painting movement in California.”

Cool! He’s a Disney guy! Worked on some of my favorite animated movies!

Minnie Holsinger, The Farmer's Wife #10, John de Martelly

This is image #10 of my on-going series sharing the pages of the scrap book of Minnie Holsinger, which she collected in the 30s and 40s while she and my Grandfather, Charlie Holsinger, were saving to buy a farm.

The signature/credit on this illustration has been cropped, but it seems to be in the style of credited works I will post this coming week. They are by John de Martelly (1903-1979). 

Wikipedia sez: “John de Marelly was born in Philedalphiz and studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, in Florence, Italy, as well as the Royal College of Art in London. In the (30’s and 40’s) he taught printmaking at the Kansas City Art Institute to the same students who studied painting with Thomas Hart Benton. De Martelly became a close friend of Benton, and was influenced by his Regionalist style. When Benton was fired from the Art Institute, the Board of Governors offered de Martelly Benton’s job as head of the Painting Department. De Martelly was furious and quit. De Martelly’s lithographs, sold through the Associated American Galleries in New York in the (30’s and 40’s), captured the essence of the rural American landscape.”

Minnie Holsinger, The Farmer's Wife #9

This is image #9 of my on-going series sharing the pages of the scrap book of Minnie Holsinger, which she collected in the 30s and 40s while she and my Grandfather Charlie Holsinger were saving to buy a farm.

This illustration appears to be from an early 40’s issue of “Country Gentleman Magazine”.

Facebook acquaintance, David Clemons, identified the artist as Amos Sewell. On the website pulpartists.com, David Saunders writes, “Amos F. Sewell was born June 7, 1901 in Oakland California. …he sold his first drawings to Street & Smith (in between 1921 and 1929). In 1937 he began together assignments from slick magazines such as Country Gentleman and later for The Saturday Evening Post. (He) died…. at the age of 82 on October 30, 1983.

Minnie Holsinger, The Farmer's Wife # 8, Jack Welch

This is image #8 of my on-going series sharing the pages of the scrap book of Minnie Holsinger, which she collected in the 30s and 40s while she and my Grandfather Charlie Holsinger were saving to buy a farm.

This illustration appears to be from an early 40’s issue of “Country Gentleman Magazine”. The barely legible signature in the low right could be by Jack Welch, an U.S.A. illustrator who was active during this period. All it says about him in Wikipedia is “Jack Welch (1905 in Cleburne, Texas- 1985) was an American Illustrator known for his drawings and gouache paintings of droll family activities and he is cover illustrations for The Saturday Evening Post. He was a member of the Society of Illustrators.