Angus MacDonall (1876 - 1927) – American artist

Angus Peter MacDonall, who came from Saint Louis, USA, where he studied at the Saint Louis School of Fine Art, was one of the early group of artists who settled in Westport, Connecticut, to make it a famous art colony. Angus was especially popular with fellow illustrators because of his three beautiful daughters who were in great demand as models.

Angus was a prolific illustrator of American life, often with humorous, home-spun themes. Angus MacDonall illustrated for most of the magazines including Scribner's, Harper's, American, and The Ladies Home Journal. For several years he did a regular double spread illustration of human interest or social commentary for the old Life magazine. He also did the cover for the Saturday Evening Post, October 8, 1921 edition.

A frequent contributor to advertisement campaigns, notably for Jell-o - in 2001, a painting he did for that company auctioned for $9,350. His three daughters were also in demand in the illustration world, but as models, not artists, as they were all beautiful.

Sources:  

Original sources: a post by  American author Chris Dubbs on the Facebook Page Artists of the First World War https://www.facebook.com/groups/385353788875799 - 

 "Wigwagging" Cover art for the original Life magazine from September 19, 1918, showing a sailor communicating using semaphore signal flags from his ship to a row of warships. Art by Angus MacDonall (1876 - 1927)

Additional information from:

https://fineart.ha.com/itm/paintings/angus-macdonall-american-1876-1927-red-cross-medicmixed-media-on-board2675-x-215-insigned-lower/a/5034-87251.s

https://www.askart.com/artist/Angus_Peter_MacDonall/28808/Angus_Peter_MacDonall.aspx

https://www.americanartarchives.com/macdonall.htm

Vasco Loureiro known as Louis Vasco (1882 - 1918) – British born Australian artist

With thanks to Paul Simadas who found this artist for us  

Born Vasco Loureiro in Brixton, London, UK he grew up in Melbourne, Australia – the family emigrated in 1885. Vasco studied art at the National Gallery of Victoria from 1902-1905. His father, Artur Jose Loureiro (1853 – 1932) was an accomplished artist, originally from Portugal and his Mother was Maria Theresa Loureiro, nee Huybers who was born in England but brought up in Tasmania. Maria was the sister of novelist Jessie Catherine Couvreur, whose pen name was Tasma. 

Vasco later moved to Sydney, drawing caricatures for a shilling for ferry passengers. After his mother died in 1907 he sailed to America, where he again used his skill to draw a face in a few simple lines on a postcard. He also travelled to Europe and Papua New Guinea, retuning to Australia before the conflict began. In 1908-1909 Vasco was in Panama while the Panama Canal was being constructed. He earnt a living by doing caricatures. He was also curious about the construction of the canal and the people involved. 

Louis Vasco enlisted as a Sapper, or engineer, in the Australian Engineers Regiment but his calling was art. He married Gwendolyn Dunlop around the time he enlisted in Brisbane on 11th May 1916. His original typed attestation form stated he was not married and she was his ‘lady friend’. The form had been adjusted to a ‘yes’ for marriage and to his ‘trade or calling’ of ‘caricature artist’ was added  ‘and draftsman’.

Louis always seemed to find time to sketch. On enlistment he drew himself in his new uniform, discarding his trademark checked trousers (see above image). Vasco left Australia for Devonport, England on 11th November 1916, arriving some 80 days later on the troopship Suevic.  On the troopship, he spent his time sketching his fellow soldiers onboard.:

Once in France, Vasco was so inspired, he took out his watercolours and filled letters to his wife Gwendolyn with charming French farmyard scenes. He promised to bring her to France ‘après la guerre’ (after the war).

 As part of the 11th Field Company Engineers,Vasco's responsibility included constructing the lines of defence, temporary bridges, tunnels and trenches, observation posts, roads, railways, communication lines. They were also involved in constructing buildings, showering and bathing facilities. 

Louis Vasco reported sick in early May 1918 and, after initial treatment in the 47th Hospital in France, was transferred to England where he was hospitalised in the Middlesex War Hospital in St Albans, north of London. 

One of Louis Vasco’s last drawings was a self-portrait drawn when he was in hospital in France and dated two months prior to his death on 3rd August 1918 - “A study in blues, Vasco on the rocks”:

Ludovic-Rodolphe Pissarro known as Ludovic Rodo (1878-1952) - French artist

 

Portrait of Ludovic by his Father
c. 1900

Born in 1878, Ludovic was the fifth child born to the artist Camille Pisarro (1830 – 1903) and his wife, Julie, nee Vellay (1839 – 1926).

Known by the name of Ludovic Rodo and often signing his work LR, Ludovic lived and worked in London during the First World War.

2 WW1 posters by French artist Ludovic-Rodolphe Pissarro known as Ludovic Rodo (1878-1952)

Original Source: https://lissllewellyn.com/online-exhibitions/women-at-war/

Biography: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludovic-Rodo_Pissarro

Henry Buckle (1882 - 1964) – British artist, illustrator and photographer

Henry Charles H. Buckle was born in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, UK on 19th January 1882.  His parents were John Buckle, a Verger, and his wife, Susan, nee Hill.

Henry trained as a Whitesmith. In 1907, he married Emily Hannah Rollings.

During the First World War, Henry served as 2746 Lance-Corporal Henry Buckle, in the 1/5th (Territorial) Battalion, The Gloucestershire Regiment from March to October 1915 in Belgium and France.  Henry was under enemy fire and the trench he was in collapsed on him, his legs were badly injured and he was discharged from active duty in August 1916.

The 1921 Census shows Henry, his wife and their daughter Alice Florence Buckle, who was born in 1908, living in Harrogate, Yorkshire (West Riding).  By 1939, the family were still living in Harrogate and by then Henry was a photographer with Alice helping him as a photograhic retoucher.

“A Tommy's Sketchbook: Writings and Drawings From the Trenches”. Incorporating the First World War Diary of 2746 Lance-Corporal Henry Buckle, 1/5th (Territorial) Battalion, The Gloucestershire Regiment.     Foreword by Jack Russell, MBE, FRSA, the former international cricketer and respected artist. This book was edited by David Read, the Historian of the Gloucestershire Regimental Museums.

NOTES:

A Verger is an official in a church who acts as a caretaker and attendant.

A Whitesmith is a metalworker who does finishing work on iron and steel such as filing, lathing, burnishing or polishing. The term also refers to a person who works with "white" or light-coloured metals, and is sometimes used as a synonym for tinsmith.

Sources: Find my Past, FreeBMD and

https://led.kmi.open.ac.uk/browse/http%3A-_--_-data.open.ac.uk-_-led-_-source-_-Diary%2Bof%2BLance-Corporal%2BHenry%2BBuckle%2C%2B20%2BApril%2B1915-_-1399974736801

http://the1926foundation.org/mbdb/books/6992

Fergus Herbert Elgin Mackain (1886 - 1924) - Canadian artist/illustrator Sculptor & Photographer

 With thanks to Ciaran Conlan for find this artist for us

Fergus Herbert Elgin Mackain was born on 28th March 1886 Saint John New Brunswick Canada, 

Fergus worked his way to England at the start of the war and joined the British Army. He served initially in the Fusiliers 30th (Reserve) Battalion, British Army Army Service Corps, before transferring to the 23rd Battalion (First Sportsman's).  Fergus served on the Western Front and was wounded during the Battle of Delville Wood (15th July – 3rd September 1916). 

After the war, Fergus returned to live with his family in America.  He died on 3rd July 1924 in Asheville, Buncombe, North Carolina (Oteen Veterans Hospital).

A letter to his six year old son

 When Fergus Mackain wrote this illustrated letter to his 6 year old son in New York, he had been in France for about one year. During that time he had been wounded at the Battle of Delville Wood, and had survived the bitterly cold winter of 1916/17, when men literally froze to death in the trenches.

His battalion, the 23rd Royal Fusiliers, experienced intense fighting at Vimy Ridge, and the following month they billeted at La Comte, Enquin-les-Mines, and Camblain-Chatelain. That was when the United States entered the war to fight alongside their allies in France.

The illustrated letter was reproduced in “Scribner’s Magazine” in December 1917.

A book of Fergus’s WW1 sketches - “A Tommy’s Life in the Trenches” has been put together and published by John Place, (whose Grandfather fought on the Somme) and William Mackain-Bremner (Grandson of Fergus's cousin). They have collected and published for the first time all the postcards drawn by Private Fergus Mackain during WW1, together with contextualizing commentary to the Western Front scenes depicted. Also included are reproductions of actual messages sent during the war on the back of Mackain's postcards. The book features more than 200 colour illustrations.

This artist was found by Historian Ciaran Conlan via Hillebrand Rifles Facebook page. 

Sources:  Find my Past

http://www.fergusmackain.com/p/illustrated-letter.html

https://adventuresinhistoryland.com/tag/book-review-a-tommys-life-in-the-trenches-private-fergus-mackain/

https://adventuresinhistoryland.com/tag/book-review-a-tommys-life-in-the-trenches-private-fergus-mackain/

https://canadiangreatwarproject.com/person.php?pid=138541

http://www.fergusmackain.com/p/greetings-set.html

https://www.amberley-books.com/a-tommys-life-in-the-trenches.html

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=206865831674413&set=pb.100070529913600.-2207520000

Alfred Pearse (1855 – 1933), also known as A Patriot, was a British artist, author, campaigner and inventor.

Born in St Pancras, London, UK, on 20th May 1855, Alfred’s parents were Joseph Salter Pearse, an artist, and his wife, Loveday Pearse, nee Colbron. Alfred studied at West London School of Art and gained numerous prizes for drawing.

In 1881, Alfred married Mary Blanche Lockwood. 

As special artist and correspondent to “The Sphere”, Alfred was assigned to the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York's 1901 tour of New Zealand.

He designed posters campaigning for women's suffrage and drew a weekly cartoon for Votes for Women from 1909, and was also regularly published in “The Illustrated London News”, “Boy's Own Paper” and “Punch”.  With Laurence Housman, Alfred set up the Suffrage Atelier.

Alfred produced various artworks, cartoons and propaganda related to British efforts during the First World War. 

From 11 September 1918 to March 1919, he held an honorary Captain's commission in the New Zealand Rifle Brigade, NZEF, as official artist, painting the battle scenes in which the 1st NZRB figured. He was attached to Brigadier General Charles Melvill's headquarters and left London for France on 27 September 1918.

The Battle of Polygon Wood

Alfred was a wood engraver, book illustrator and art critic, working for the “Manchester Guardian”, and for eight years was a member of Joseph Barnby's Royal Choral Society.

Amongst his inventions, Alfred patented improvements to vehicle and cycle wheels, improvements relating to the frames of velocipedes, a method for animating advertising hoardings in 1908–1912, improvements in flying machines, devised a model air-ship for the October 1905 readers of “The Boy's Own Paper”.

His son, Denis Colbron Pearse, (1883–1971) also became an illustrator.

The Suffrage Atelier was an artists' collective campaigning for women's suffrage in Britain. It was founded in February 1909 by Laurence Housman, Clemence Housman and Alfred Pearse. Clemence was a writer, illustrator, and wood engraver, and her brother Laurence was a fantasy writer.  (A.E. Houseman was Clemence and Lawrence's brother.)

Sources:

Alfred Pearse, Captain, NZRB, 1918–19

Photo: Elliott & Fry

The Battle of Polygon Wood - a postcard from Original Drawing by A. Pearse, official NZ War Artist.

The New Zealand Rifle Brigade (Earl of Liverpool's Own), affectionately known as The Dinks, was formed on 1 May 1915 as the third brigade of the New Zealand Division, part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. During the First World War the Brigade fought in Egypt, against the Senussi, and then on the Western Front and was disbanded on 4 February 1919.

Sources:  Find my Past, Free BMD, Wikipedia, 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_Rifle_Brigade_(Earl_of_Liverpool%27s_Own)

Edward Carter Preston (1884 –1965) - British artist, sculptor and medallist.

Edward Carter Preston was born in Liverpool, UK on 7th July 1884.  His parents were Robert John Preston and his wife, Sarah Ellen Preston, nee Dodd. 

Edward became an artist and designed medals, including the bronze WW1 Next of Kin Memorial Plaque and the Distinguished Flying Cross. His innovative ‘Plychrome’ sculptures were made to support the rehabilitation of those who had been disabled in active service.

In 1911, Edward married Marie Smith in Liverpool.  Marie’s brother was the sculptor Herbert Tyson Smith (1883–1972), who served in the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War and designed sculptures in the Liverpool and Merseyside area, in particular war memorials. 

Edward and Marie’s daughter Julia Carter Preston (26 January 1926 – 6 January 2012) – became a potter. 

During the First World Wara, Edward designed this memorial plaque*

A major commission for Edward began in 1931, when the architect Giles Gilbert Scott asked him to produce a series of sculptures for the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral. The project was an immense undertaking which occupied the artist for the next thirty years. The work for the cathedral included fifty sculptures, ten memorials and several reliefs. Edward also exhibited works at the Royal Scottish Academy Exhibition 1938.

* In late 1917, with direct input from King George V, it was decided that in addition to the respective campaign service medals awarded to all participants, the official next of kin of a serviceman or woman who gave their life should receive another more specific token of appreciation. This was a big call, because it is impossible to thank the individual concerned, and nothing can make up for the loss of a loved one to their family.

The conclusion was that a bronze Memorial Plaque should be issued and a national competition was held to find the most suitable design. There were more than 800 entries to the competition from within the United Kingdom, from countries in the British Empire and from the theatres of war. The panel of judges, included Directors of the London National Gallery and the Director and Keeper of the Department of Coins and Medals of the Victoria and Albert Museum. They selected the design by Edward Carter Preston. In all, approximately 1.3 million Memorial Plaques were issued to the families of men who died, and 600 issued to the families of the women.

A decision was made that the Memorial Plaque should be accompanied by a commemorative scroll and the organising committee sought advice on the wording from several well-known authors. Dr Montague Rhodes James (author M.R. James - 1862 - 1936), who was Provost of King’s College, Cambridge at the time, provided a draft which, with a few small amendments, was selected to appear on the scroll. The text was beneath the Royal coat of arms and above the name of the honouree - which was handwritten in red at the bottom. 

Sources: Find my Past, Free BMD, Wikipedia and

https://specialcollections-blog.lib.cam.ac.uk/?p=12771

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Plaque_(medallion)

https://www.artinliverpool.com/venues-archives/hope-university-archive/liverpool-hope-university-edward-carter-preston-the-great-war/

https://www.artinliverpool.com/features/reviews/debbie-lang-interviews-susan-breck-about-edwards-carter-prestons-intimate-retrospective-in-the-cornerstone/