|
Frances Tipton Hunter was was born Howard, Pennsylvania,(1896). When she was only 6 years old, her mother died. Her father felt unable to care for a young girl so she was taken in by her Aunt and Uncle who lived in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. She had a middle-class unbringing and attended highschool which was not all that common at the time. She was bright academically and it was in highschool that her artistic talents began to be recognized. She graduated from Williamsport High School (1914). She then moved to Philadelphia where she pursued artistic studies at the Philadelphia Museum of Industrial Arts. She graduated with honors. She went on to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the Fleisher Art Memorial, again awarded honors. An art scholarship helped her move to New York. She was employed illustrating children’s fashion for department stores. This was the beginning of an art career which included the 1920s-50s. Like many women illustrators, she was especially noted for drawing children and their pets. She would become one of the most respected American illustrators of the mid-20th century. Not only were her drawing skills superb, but few illutrators have denonstrated such an intuitive understanding of children. A good example is a Saturday Evening Post cover (1937) depicting a mother buying winter underwear for her son dressed in period knickers. The Post was one of the most popular mass-cirulation magazines at the time.
Frances Tipton Hunter was was born Howard, Pennsylvania,(1896). When she was only 6 years old, her mother died. Her father felt unable to care for a young girl so she was taken in by her Aunt and Uncle who lived in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. She had a middle-class unbringing.
Frances attended highschool which was not all that common at the time. She was bright academically and it was in highschool that her artistic talents began to be recognized. She graduated from Williamsport High School (1914). She then moved to Philadelphia where she pursued artistic studies at the Philadelphia Museum of Industrial Arts. She graduated with honors. She went on to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the Fleisher Art Memorial, again awarded honors. An art scholarship helped her move to New York.
he was employed illustrating children’s fashion for department stores. This was the beginning of an art career which played out during the 1920s-50s.
Hunter as is often the case with women artists and illustrators, she had a specil talent for depicting children and the specil bond with their pets. She would become one of the most respected American illustrators of the mid-20th century. Not only were her drawing skills superb, but few illutrators of either have denonstrated such an intuitive understanding of children. Hunter’s illustrations appear in the major mass media magazines of the mid-20th century. They included: Woman’s Home Companion, Collier’s, Liberty, Good Housekeeping and Ladies Home Journal. Her work included advertisements, puzzles, and calendar art. She did an impressive series of paper dolls that appeared in Ladies Home Journal (1920s). This seies established Hunter's status as a major American illustrtor. Hunter’s wonderfully drawn dolls created a huge following. Six chrming children thus often appeared in the mgazine to the delight of the children whse mothers' subscribed. The Whitman Publishing Company of Racine, Wisconsin decided to publish The Frances Tipton Picture Book. It included 20 full color and 12 black and white illustrations of children along with their pets. Marjorie Barrows added coonecting verses and stories. The book proved so uccsful that a sequal followed: a compendium of doll artwork, Frances Tipton Hunter’s Paper Dolls. The Saturday Evening Post was one of the most popular mass-cirulation magazines at the time and a Post cover was a signal reconition of an illustrator's skills. Francis Tipton Hunter’s first Post cover was entitled 'No Money for Her Soda' (June 6, 1936). Like Norman Rockwell, Hunter’s work illustrated the charming, perhaps idealized version of childhood. This does not mean that thy were untrue. In fact, they often captured very real emotions and beliefs of childhood. Here I think she often got to the sence of boyhood more decisivly than those of girls who seem more like
foils for the boys. The 1939 cover here is a good example (figure 1). We get the impression that Hunter decided that boys were more fun to illustrate than the girls. Unlike Rockwell, many of her child charactrs look remarably alike. Another difference with Rockwell is that Hunter does not tap into the larger issues like patriotism, war, religion, family gatherings,nd other wider issue. Rather Hunter depicts the trials and tribulations of a child’s daily life. We suspect that while she drew American children the same images would be undertood in other countries and other times. Her illustrations beautifully record joys of summer vacation, the attachment of puppies, children and holidays, and the things that adults insist on, but that the children do not always understand. Hunter understood that for children, adultare too often inscrutable. One such problem was scratchy wooly winter underwear. Hunter chose this a a topic fora 1937 Post cover. It depicts a mother buying winter underwear for her son dressed in period knickers. We are sure if the boy's disgust is the scratching wool or being connected with hunderwear in public. Another 1939 cover shows a mother deciding on the suitibility of her growing son's suit. This is a problem boy's often have--mom choosing their outfits. Hunter did an impressive 18 Post covers in total(1936-41). The paper doll work largely launched her career. The Post covers establish her as one of the foremost illustrators of her day.
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Artist pages:
[Return to the Main American illustrator page]
[Return to the Main individual illustrator page]
[Chronology]
[Countries]
[Individuals]
[Styles]
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Introduction]
[Activities]
[Biographies]
[Chronology]
[Clothing styles]
[Countries]
[Literary]
[Bibliographies]
[Contributions]
[FAQs]
[Glossaries]
[Images]
[Links]
[Registration]
[Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]
