Lee Woodward Zeigler

Lee Woodward Zeigler, also known as Albert Lee Zeigler, (May 7, 1868—June 16, 1952) was an American artist who began his career as an illustrator and later worked as a muralist.

Lee Woodward Zeigler
Born
Albert Lee Zeigler

(1868-05-07)May 7, 1868
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
DiedJune 16, 1952(1952-06-16) (aged 84)
New Windsor, New York, U.S.
Resting placeSt. George's Cemetery, Newburgh, New York, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma materMaryland Institute College of Art
Years active1880s–1940s
Hypatia by Charles Kingsley, Illustration by Lee Woodward Zeigler
Zeigler was inspired by Elizabethan poet Edmund Spenser's work for most of his life


Early life and education

Born Albert Lee Zeigler, on May 7, 1868, in Baltimore, Maryland, to Daniel and Laura Zeigler.[1][2] He attended Maryland Institute of Art (now known as Maryland Institute College of Art) and graduated in 1885.[3][4] He was a founding member of the Charcoal Club of Baltimore,[5] which met in a loft on Charles Street. [1]

From 1889 to 1904, Zeigler illustrated for Life (magazine).[6] From 1910 to 1918, Zeigler was the director of the Saint Paul Institute of Art and Science (which was later separated into two museums and is now the Minnesota Museum of American Art and Science Museum of Minnesota) in Saint Paul, Minnesota.[7][8] Working in London, he also became a fellow in the Royal Society of Arts.[9]

Personal life
Fanewood in 2020, Zeigler's estate and studio.

On October 16th, 1909,[10] he married Mary Stuart (née Roe) Zeigler (1880–1963),[11] the youngest daughter of author William James Roe. Their wedding was held at St. Thomas Episcopal Church[10] and the reception held at his grandmother-in-law's estate. In 1914, he returned to the church to paint a mural titled "Christ's Ascension" [12] near the altar,[13] depicting martyrs, saints and angels below a golden cross.

Work

Zeigler painted the mural "Maryland" (1925) at his alma mater Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), in the court of the Main Building.[4]

FERA murals

Zeigler worked for the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) and painted two murals c.1936 at the Stony Point Battlefield museum in Stony Point, New York, one of which features George Washington and Anthony Wayne planning their attack from nearby Buckberg Mountain.[14][15][16]

During his time as a WPA muralist, Zeigler was commissioned to produce small murals at Newburgh Free Academy in 1936, which had opened for students in 1928. Though he was in disagreement[17] with the Board of Education and Ralph Adams Cram over what the subject material should be, he ultimately decided that they should depict the drama and music,[18] emulated by Renaissance figures. The two vertical murals flank the current stage; the auditorium renovation in 2010 preserved them.

The Faerie Queene murals

In 1929, when trustees of the Enoch Pratt Free Library began planning for a library building, Zeigler approached them with suggestions. For the second floor reading room, he proposed a set of murals depicting scenes from Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene.[19] The murals were the realization of a lifelong dream.[1] As a boy, his father had gifted him a copy of the poem for a birthday, and Zeigler had studied it ever since.[20] When the library trustees saw Zeigler's tentative watercolor sketches of the murals, they allowed him to begin, granting him money for materials.[19]

Work began around 1941 and finished in 1945, with help from his wife, Mary. The canvas panels for the mural were completed at Fanewood, and a skylight was installed to assist with lighting.[20] At their completion, the Faerie Queene murals were the largest library murals ever completed in the United States, covering walls nearly 8 feet tall.[19] The murals were unveiled in October 1945. Following a 2015 renovation to the Enoch Pratt Free Library, the murals were overpainted for restoration.[21]

The Faerie Queene murals were motivated by Zeigler's life-long interest in the medieval and Renaissance periods, including their art and literature.[22] Much of his illustrative work for children depicted scenes from fairy tales with older origins. He was a member of the Medieval Academy of America.[23]

Death

June 16th, 1952, Zeigler died at Fanewood, his estate, the top floor of which he had used as a studio in his later years.[24] He was 84 years old.[25]

After his death, the estate was sold and converted into apartments.[26] Development spurred in the area, and in the early 1950s, houses were built around the mansion. The street, Fanewood Drive in New Windsor, was named for it.

References
  1. Wharton, Carol (3 January 1954). "A Native Returns---In Pictures". Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. p. 55.
  2. Leonard, John William; Marquis, Albert Nelson (1913). Who's who in America. Volume 7. A.N. Marquis. p. 2359.
  3. "Zeigler, Lee Woodward (1868-1952)". Historical Society of Newburgh Bay & the Highlands. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
  4. "A Fresh Start". MICA. Retrieved 2020-03-10. 1925 – 100th anniversary: “Maryland” mural by A. Lee Woodward Zeigler (class of 1885) installed in the court of the Main Building to mark the Institute’s centennial with funds provided by the Municipal Art Society. University of Baltimore founded.
  5. "Lee Woodward Zeigler papers, 1911-1968". Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
  6. "Lee Woodward ZEIGLER (1868-1952)". Artprice.com. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
  7. "Zeigler, Lee Woodward". Oxford University Press, Benezit Dictionary of Artists. Oxford University Press. 2011. doi:10.1093/benz/9780199773787.article.B00201274. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  8. "Timeline: The long, twisty journey of the Minnesota Museum of American Art". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2020-03-10. 1909: The school becomes part of the St. Paul Institute, a forerunner to the Science Museum of Minnesota.
  9. "Mrs. Zeigler's Rites Set". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. 12 April 1963. p. 15.
  10. "Mr. William J. Roe has sent out cards announcing the marriage of his daughter". The Washington Post. 21 October 1909. New York Mr William J Roe has sent out cards announcing the marriage of his daughter Mary Stuart to Mr A Lee Woodward Zeigler, Saturday October 16 at St Thomas Church New Windsor-on-the -Hudson, New York.
  11. "New York, County Marriages, 1847-1848; 1908-1936," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9Q97-YSGQ-TFK?cc=1618491&wc=38MT-16D%3A1583148802%2C1583192901 : 18 March 2019), Orange > Marriage records, 1908-1913, vol 1 > image 140 of 525; citing county clerk offices from various counties, New York.
  12. "History". St. Thomas Episcopal Church. 2018-02-18. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
  13. "Painting in Church Unveiled". The Tribune. 29 June 1914.
  14. "Ramapo Valley Independent — Historical Exhibits In Stony Point Battlefield Museum". HRVH Historical Newspapers. 13 August 1937. Retrieved 2020-03-10. The Museum was dedicated last summer, on the anniversary of the battle, and was then decorated with murals, battle pieces, portraits and maps, the latter executed by artists under Federal relief agencies. Two murals by Lee Woodward Zeigler of Newburgh, N. Y., depict, in one an allegorical representation of Washington offering Wayne, who is surrounded by his officers, the opportunity of taking Stony Point by storm, and in the other, Washington and Wayne reconnoitering Stony Point from Bochberg Mountain to the north.
  15. "Numismatics". The New York Times. 1976-06-13. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
  16. "The Journal News from White Plains, New York". Newspapers.com. July 16, 2004. p. 19. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
  17. Cram, Ralph Adams; Zeigler, Lee Woodward (4 September 1936). "Boston Man Writes Mr. Zeigler On Murals in Local Academy". The Newburgh News.
  18. "Newburgh Free Academy, Auditorium Renovation". School Designs. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
  19. Cullen, Thomas S.; Osgood, Charles Grosvenor (1945). The Faerie Queene Murals by Lee Woodward Zeigler at the Enoch Pratt Free Library. Baltimore, Maryland: Enoch Pratt Free Library. pp. 3–4.
  20. Stitson, Anne (21 August 1989). "Easton woman of restoring Dad's work". The Star-Democrat. Easton, Maryland. p. 5A.
  21. "Enoch Pratt Free Library Renovation & Modernization". Gilbane Building Company.
  22. Zeigler, Lee Woodward (28 August 1945). "Spenser's Poems". The Baltimore Sun. p. 10.
  23. "Lee Ziegler Dies; Painted Murals". The New York Times. 17 June 1952.
  24. "Honor Mr. Zeigler With Art Show in Baltimore". The Newburgh News. Newburgh, New York. 4 February 1954. p. 4.
  25. "Artist Dies". The News (Frederick, Maryland). 20 June 1952.
  26. "29 Realty Transfers Listed in Local Area". The Newburgh News. 7 January 1953. p. 7.
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