James Edmund Allen (1894-1964) [RA 1927]
American social realist illustrator, lithographer, etcher & painter ;
James E. Allen ; J.E. Allen ; J. E. Allen ; J. Edmund Allen ; James Edward Allen [wrongly referred] ; James “Edd” Allen ; “Edd” Allen ;
[Born February 23, 1894 in Louisiana, MO – died September 9, 1964 in New York, NY]
SAL record control number: 63507 ;
Record level: Person ;
Record type: Artist ;
Biography:
Birth: February 23, 1894 in Louisiana, MO ;
Death: September 9, 1964 in New York, NY ;
Sex: Male ;
Ethnicity: White ;
Zodiac: Pisces ;
Known for: Black and white softly rendered illustrations and etchings of industrial workers ;
Medium: Ink and paper ; oil ;
Technique: Drawing ; etching ; painting ;
Subjects: Steelworkers ; pipe workers ; American industrial life ;
Areas: Louisiana, MO (1894-1897) ; Anaconda, MT (1897-1913) ; Chicago, IL (1913-1916) ; Interlaken, NJ & the Interlaken Artist Colony, Interlaken, NJ (1916-1917) [near Asbury Park, NJ] ; Germany (1917-1919) ; Spring Lake, NJ (1919-1924) ; Paris, France (1925) ; New York, NY (1924-1925, 1930- ) ; Mamaroneck, NY (ca.1925) ;
Region: The South ; North East ;
Lived: Louisiana, MO ; Chicago, IL ; Frasmere Avenue, Spring Lake, NJ [near Asbury Park, NJ] (1919-1924) ; 939 Eighth Avenue at West 56th Street, New York, NY (1924-1925) ; Paris, France (1925-1930) ; Mamaroneck, NY (ca.1925) ; New York, NY (1924-1925, 1930- ) ;
Father: William Henry Allen ;
Mother: Annie May (Scoggins) Allen ;
Relatives: Elmer “Lee” Allen (1896-1971), brother ;
Spouse: Grace Louise (Parmele) Allen, married January 8, 1919 in Chicago, IL ;
Children: C.M. ;
Training: Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, IL under Alexis Jean Fournier (1865-1948) (1913-1916) ; Art Students’ League of New York, New York, NY under Joseph Pennell (1857-1926) (1924) ; Grand Central School of Art, New York, NY under Arshile Gorky (1904-1948) & Harvey Thomas Dunn (1884-1952) ; Hans Hoffman School of Fine Arts, New York, NY & Provincetown, MA ; Studied printmaking in Paris, France (1925) ;
Instructors: Alexis Jean Fournier (1865-1948) ; Joseph Pennell (1857-1926) ; William Auerbach-Levy (1889-1964) ; Arshile Gorky (1904-1948) & Harvey Thomas Dunn (1884-1952) ;
Work: Before 1914, Pennell worked for Doubleday, Page and Company, and contributed freelance work to leading periodicals including People’s Popular Monthly (1913), American Boy, Blue Book (magazine), Collier’s, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Ladies’ Home Journal, Nash’s and Pall Mall Magazine, The Red Cross Magazine, and Saturday Evening Post ; During WWI worked as a pilot (1917) ; Illustrated works of Guy de Maupassant, a 17-volume edition, works by Dhan Gopal Mukerji and the popular Sinclair Dinosaur Book for the Sinclair Refining Company ; Created work with the Work Projects Administration (WPA) (1930) ;
Taught:
Students:
Member: Salmagundi Club, New York, NY, artist member (1927-1966) ; Society of American Etchers, New York, NY ; Philadelphia Print Club, Philadelphia, PA ;
Exhibited with: Kennedy Galleries, New York, NY (1930s) ; Grand Central Galleries, New York, NY (1930s) ; Society of American Etchers, New York, NY ; Salmagundi Club, New York, NY ;
Awards: Salmagundi Club, New York, NY, Shaw prize (1932) ; Society of American Etchers, New York, NY, Henry B. Shope award (1932) ; Philadelphia Print Club, Philadelphia, PA, Charles M. Lea award (1933) ;
Milestones: Allen’s work described as “the daily heroism of America’s industrial workers” ; Learned horse training from the Blackfoot Indians, earning the nickname “Horse Whisperers” ; Allen’s work portrayed “The muscle of America” ;
Notes:
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Document information
Document permalink:
http://salmagundi.org/artist/?p=63507
Digital-born document number:
SAL.2019.63507
Digital document provenance:
Original compiled and researched document by the Salmagundi.
Document license:
Creative Commons Corporation shareAlike (sa) license. Some of the information contained within this document may hold further publication restrictions depending on final use. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine.
Image license:
Record birth date:
January 1, 1894
Last updated: May 23, 2023 at 12:42 pm