Jennie Lewis (1892-1944)
SKU:
$1,800.00
$1,800.00
per item
"Boat Near Hunter's Point, S.F. Cal."
circa 1937, hand colored WPA Lithograph.
Edition: Not stated but probably less than 25 lithographs produced and probably unique with hand coloring. Signed in pencil,
Jennie Lewis, lower left; titled, Boat Near Hunter's Point, S.F.
Cal., lower right.
Image: 11 1/4 x 10 1/4 inches (285 x 260 mm). Sheet: 14 15/16 x 11 1/2 inches (378 x 317 mm).
Reference: Illustrated in Seaton 2006:184-185.
Inventory ID: 1079
Image: 11 1/4 x 10 1/4 inches (285 x 260 mm). Sheet: 14 15/16 x 11 1/2 inches (378 x 317 mm).
Reference: Illustrated in Seaton 2006:184-185.
Inventory ID: 1079
1 available
Comments:
Very good condition. Good margins. WPA. Printed on white wove paper. References to this print in several museum collections make no mention of it being a colored lithograph. The lithograph, colored or uncolored, is in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, Baltimore Museum of Art, Newark Museum, Portland Art Museum, and the University of Oregon Museum of Art.
A promising artist, Jennie Lewis met a tragic end. While hiking in the Sierra Nevada's, in March of 1944, she lost her way in a late season snowfall and died of exposure. A memorial exhibit of her work was shown that same year at the San Francisco Museum of Art. In a 1964 interview (online and on file*) for the Smithsonian Archives of American Art, Max McCarthy begins to discuss Jennie Lewis (misspelled Jenny Lewis) with WPA artist Mary McChesney. Instead of McChesney answering, McCarthy's wife, Jean, responds with the following:
Very good condition. Good margins. WPA. Printed on white wove paper. References to this print in several museum collections make no mention of it being a colored lithograph. The lithograph, colored or uncolored, is in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, Baltimore Museum of Art, Newark Museum, Portland Art Museum, and the University of Oregon Museum of Art.
A promising artist, Jennie Lewis met a tragic end. While hiking in the Sierra Nevada's, in March of 1944, she lost her way in a late season snowfall and died of exposure. A memorial exhibit of her work was shown that same year at the San Francisco Museum of Art. In a 1964 interview (online and on file*) for the Smithsonian Archives of American Art, Max McCarthy begins to discuss Jennie Lewis (misspelled Jenny Lewis) with WPA artist Mary McChesney. Instead of McChesney answering, McCarthy's wife, Jean, responds with the following:
Max McCarthy: ... Now the case of Jenny [sic: Jennie] Lewis....
Jean McCarthy: Oh, yes. She died. She’s gone. But she was quite wonderful, and the poor little thing, ... I remember the first day she came to the Project with great big holes in her shoes, quiet and proud and full of talent, and they started making fun of her. Well, I don’t want to mention names here, but they made fun of her. She was sort of an odd little thing. And suddenly she was discovered by, what’s his name? Cahill? [Holger Cahill - National Director Federal Art Project] He came in and looked at all the lithographs and sorted out all of her work only, and in fact, they had tried to fire her a few times. I thought it was dreadful because she was rather odd, but quiet and bothered no one. And he said, “I want every one you have of this artist. And I want to give her a show in New York.” Which he did. And, of course, immediately, Allen [Joseph Allen - Head of the regional Pottery Project] and a few others there began to show her a little bit of attention and they weren’t going to fire her after that. And they did things like that. After she died....
She died in a very tragic way. She went to visit her brother [Fresno, California] up in the mountains, somewhere up in the mountains , and got lost in the snow. She lost her way and she died of exposure. And it was very tragic. She came to see us at the studio, remember? Just before she left to visit him, and showed us a few of her paintings. I wish I had taken them then. She wanted to give us some of her work. We told her that she must keep it because it would be important some day, and what happened to it we don’t know. And I knew nothing about it. I had lost my boy and I was in a dreadful state myself, so they told me nothing about it until later on. Max knew about it, but I didn’t and how I did weep when I found out. But she was so talented. She was wonderful. I don’t know what happened to all her work, but Cahill, of course, dropped by and went through all the lithographs and picked out all this odd little person’s work and let the others go by. Those were some of the things that happened on the Project.
*The complete interview may be read here (please come back!): http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/interviews/oral-history-interview-max-mccarthy-11805
