Wallace Morgan

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Wallace Morgan

Wallace Morgan (* 1873 in New York City , † April 24, 1948 ) was an American artist during the First World War . He was President of the Society of Illustrators from 1929 to 1936 .

Life

Young years

Morgan grew up in Albany, where he was tutored in the arts from his father. After high school, he returned to New York City and studied at the National Academy of Design . He worked part-time as a draftsman for the New York Sun as well as to finance his studies. In doing so, he developed the ability to create print-ready drawings without having to make sketches beforehand. He chose to do illustrations for books and magazines, which led to individual works appearing in Collier’s , Cosmopolitan and the Saturday Evening Post . This differentiated him from other comparable artists, such as Jerome Myers, who concentrated entirely on their own art and less on popular culture.

Pre-war period

In 1998 Morgan got a full-time job as a draftsman with The Herald . In his eleven years with the newspaper, he created drawings for all categories of news, including a trip to Martinique in 1892 to depict the eruption of Mt. Pelée . During this time he was able to sharpen his eye for character expressions as well as detailed landscape images.

Morgan left his job to open his own studio. He continued to illustrate magazines, books and advertising on commission. Shortly after the opening, he went on a tour of the USA with Julian Bond to collect images and paths of life. On two trips across the country, they collected enough works for a book on behalf of Collier's .

First World War

The nomination of Morgan as official war artist on the side of the USA brought an abrupt end to his third trip across the country. In March 1918 he was awarded the rank of Army Captain, a month later he landed in France. For a year in France he followed the Marine Brigade to Chateau-Thierry and the Belleau forest . He paid special attention to the daily routine of the soldiers and generals.

post war period

After the war ended, Morgan returned to his New York studio. Considered one of the finest black and white artists at the time, Morgan would often be referred to as the chairman of American illustrators. He was elected to the National Academy of Design and the Society of Illustrators ' Hall of Fame.

As a member of several organizations and associations, Morgan maintained an active club life. Between 1929 and 1936 he served as President of the Society of Illustrators . He also taught for a few years at the Art Students League , of which he later became an honorary member.

In 1941 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters .

Works (selection)

  • The Alert by Captain Wallace Morgan - NARA

  • Mopping Up Cierges by Wallace Morgan - NARA

  • Drawing of a Machine Gun Outfit Moving Forward near Esnes during Artillery Attack by Wallace Morgan - NARA

  • Drawing of United States Medical Officers Attending Wounded German Prisoners near Montilly - NARA

  • Feed a fighter - Eat only what you need - Waste nothing - That he and his family may have enough

reception

Most of the time Morgan used charcoal for his drawings, but for some works he also used pencil, ink, or paint. “He himself once said: I want to be damned if I use a camera ... Besides, they never do me justice.” So he always brought humor and compassion into the expression of a drawing at the same time.

His works during the First World War bring a special impression of the movement and excitement in scenes of battle. At the same time, they depict his interests in the troops, animals, and equipment that moved seamlessly across the battlefields in France. Despite the robust illustration, a gripping tension of the war emerged in which his comrades were depicted in a realistic way. Since most war illustrations are depicted at night, Morgan's ability to bring a play of light and shadow onto the drawing is particularly striking.

Morgan was described as a cultured man who took a liking to luxury and only drank scotch whiskey . He stood out clearly from the "emaciated" soldiers on the battlefield.

literature

Cornebise, Alfred (2014): Art from the trenches: America's uniformed artists in World War I. College Station , Texas A&M University Press, ISBN 978-0890963494

Web links

credentials

  1. ^ A b c Society of Illustrators: Wallace Morgen. Retrieved February 7, 2018 .
  2. ↑ a b c National Museum of American History. Retrieved February 7, 2018 .
  3. ^ Robert L. Gambone: Jerome Myers. The Ash Can Artist of the Lower East Side . Xlibris, 2017, ISBN 978-1-5245-6351-6 .
  4. ↑ a b c US Army Center of Military History. Retrieved February 7, 2018 .
  5. ^ Members: Wallace Morgan. American Academy of Arts and Letters, accessed April 16, 2019 .
  6. ↑ Steven Trout: On the Battlefield of Memory: The First World War and American Remembrance, 1919-1941 . The University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa 2010, ISBN 978-0-8173-5723-8 .
  7. ↑ Peter Krass: PORTRAIT OF WAR: The US Army's First Combat Artists and the Doughboys' Experience in WWI . John Wiley and Sons, New York 2006, ISBN 978-0-471-67023-0 .
personal data
SURNAME Morgan, Wallace
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American painter, illustrator, and war painter
DATE OF BIRTH 1873
PLACE OF BIRTH New York , New York
DATE OF DEATH April 24, 1948
Place of death New York , New York