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| Dean Cornwell with mural Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection |
Dean Cornwell (1892-1960) was a left-handed painter and muralist who dominated the illustration field for many years. He began his professional art career at age 18 as a cartoonist for the Louisville Herald. A year later, he enrolled at the Chicago Art Institute and went to work in the art department of the Chicago Tribune. At the Chicago Art Institute, he met and studied under prominent art educator Harvey Dunn. In 1915 followed Dunn to New York and joined him in his studio-classroom. After studying with Dunn Cornwell quickly became a success.
Cornwell always had a strong work ethic and often worked seventeen-hour days, seven days a week. He produced over 1,000 illustrations for nearly every major publication in the country including Cosmopolitan, Harper's Bazaar, Redbook, and Good Housekeeping magazines. He did advertising illustrations for hundreds of companies, and during the first World War he produced posters promoting the war effort.
In 1927 he decided to devote the rest of his life to mural painting and travelled to England to study mural painting for three years under famous muralist and autodidact Frank Brangwyn. Brangwyn selected Cornwell to assist him in a series of murals, including one at the House of Lords. Cromwell claimed that he rarely made much money from his murals and he continued his illustration work whenever he needed money.
Cornwell’s murals include his well-known work at the Los Angeles Public Library that told the history of California.
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| 1932-33 Los Angeles Public Library mural |
Also in California is his mural at the Lincoln Memorial Shrine in Redlands. Cornwell also painted murals for New York City at the Eastern Airlines Building, the Raleigh Room at the Hotel Warwick, and the General Motors mural at the 1939 World's Fair. During the depression he painted Federal Art Project murals in post offices in Chapel Hill and Morganton, North Carolina.
Cornwell taught and lectured at the Art Students League in New York City and served as president of the Society of Illustrators from 1922 to 1926. He received gold medals for mural painting from the Architectural League of New York, as well as gold medals from the Allied Artists of America and the Society of Illustrators. Cornwell's 1928 "Washing the Savior's Feet," originally painted for Good Housekeeping, was accepted for display by Britain's prestigious Royal Academy, one of the few American artists to receive this honour.
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| 1928 Washing the Saviour's Feet oil on canvas 86.4 x 121.9 cm |
In 1934 he was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Associate Academician and became a full Academician in 1940. He served as President of the National Society of Mural Painters from 1953 to 1957. In 1959 he was inducted into the Society of Illustrator's Hall of Fame.
Dean Cornwell died in 1960 in New York City.
This is part 1 of a 5-part series on the works of Dean Cornwell:
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| 1913 The Three Godfathers by Peter B. Kyne illustrated by Dean Cornwell |
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| 1916 Some Necktie, Lady oil on canvas 36.8 x 86.4 cm |
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| 1916 Some Necktie, Lady detail |
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| 1916 Some Necktie, Lady detail |
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| 1917 An Old-Fashioned Picnic oil on canvas 40.6 x 94.6 cm |
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| 1917 An Old-Fashioned Picnic detail oil on canvas 40.6 x 94.6 cm |
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| 1917 An Old-Fashioned Picnic detail oil on canvas 40.6 x 94.6 cm |
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| 1917 Options The Saturday Evening Post story illustration oil on canvas 61 x 86.4 cm |
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| 1918 The Dark Fleece Saturday Evening Post story illustration oil on canvas 61 x 101.6 cm |
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| 1918 The Other Side oil on canvas 87.6 x 64.8 cm |
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| 1918 The Torrent illustration in Hearst International magazine oil on board 33 x 35.6 cm |
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| 1918 The Torrent study |
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| 1918 Work for America oil on canvas? |
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| c1918 Man with Bandaged Head Saturday Evening Post illustration oil on mounted canvas 62.7 x 46.2 cm |
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| 1919 Frontier Woman illustration for Cosmopolitan Magazine oil on canvas 61 x 50.8 cm |
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| 1919 Royal Canadian Mountie oil on canvas |
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| 1919 Stern News after Dinner oil on canvas 66 x 101.6 cm |
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| 1919 The Valley of Silent Men oil on canvas 61 x 91.4 cm |
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| 1920 One Thing Puzzled Dirty Dan Extremely illustration for Cosmopolitan magazine April 1920 oil on canvas 66 x 97.8 cm |
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| 1920 One Thing Puzzled Dirty Dan Extremely detail |
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| 1920 One Thing Puzzled Dirty Dan Extremely detail |
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| c1920-29 Babysitting oil on canvas 76.2 x 53.3 cm |
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| 1920 Find the Woman oil on canvas 61 x 76.2 cm |
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| c1920 Moonlit Couple oil on canvas 76.2 x 61 cm |
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| c1920 Strong Women "Euphorbia" by Gene Stratton-Porter oil on board 71.1 x 97.8 cm |
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| 1921 $2,000 Reward oil on canvas |
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| 1921 Priest, Spanish City oil on canvas 76.2 x 86.4 cm |
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| 1921 Pursuit oil on board 53.3 x 48.3 cm |
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| 1921 The Artist and His Model oil on canvas 86.4 x 91.4 cm |
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| 1921 The Bridge Harper's Bazaar oil on canvas 86.4 x 76.2 cm |
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| 1921 The Pride of Palomar by Peter B. Kyne illustrated by Dean Cornwell |
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| 1921 The Pride of Palomar by Peter B. Kyne illustrated by Dean Cornwell detail |
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| 1921 The Red Shawl Hearst's International magazine (1922) oil on canvas 86.4 x 76.2 cm |
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| 1922 Romantic Couple Seated by a Piano Hearst's International Magazine oil on canvas 86.4 x 91.4 cm |
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| 1922 Romantic Couple Seated by a Piano detail |
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| 1922 Romantic Couple Seated by a Piano detail |
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| 1922 Spanish Tavern oil on canvas 71 x 114.3 cm |
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| 1922 Spanish Tavern detail |
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| 1922 Spanish Tavern detail |
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| 1922 The Desert Healer Cosmopolitan magazine illustration 76.2 x 101.6 cm |
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| 1922 The Widow's Loan illustration for Cosmopolitan magazine May 1922 oil on canvas 91.9 x 76.6 cm |
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| 1923 A Man and Woman in an Interior oil on canvas 80 x 106.7 cm |
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| 1923 A Man and Woman in an Interior detail |
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| 1923 Cosmopolitan magazine illustration |
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| 1923 Couple on a Bench in Moonlight oil on board 76.2 x 101.6 cm |
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| 1923 Never the Twain Shall Meet book dust jacket and title illustration oil on canvas |
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| 1923 Never the Twain Shall Meet detail |
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| 1923 Never the Twain Shall Meet detail |
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| 1923 Never the Twain Shall Meet printed version |
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| 1923 Never the Twain Shall Meet illustration for Cosmopolitan magazine oil on canvas 90.2 x 76.2 cm |