James Herbert

James Herbert (1898 - 1970) like many of the artists of his time enhanced his fine arts career by becoming an active member in the Society of Illustrators. At the society he enjoyed exhibit opportunities, model drawing classes and the general friendship of fellow artists ambitious to progress their artistic oeuvre. Hebert was well educated, graduating from Columbia in 1917, spending six years at the Art Student’s League of New York (1920 – 1926) under the tutelage of Kenneth Hays Miller and then onto European training at the Academie Julian in Paris 1921, 1923 and 1924.

Herbert concentrated primarily on the figure in all of his paintings. Very much taken by the theater and costume, Herbert over his fifty-year career often exhibited elaborate period costumed paintings. As Reginald Marsh was attracted to painting the social theatrics of New York daily life, Herbert painted from a more personal and psychological perspective, capturing the "performances" of individuals. Dancers and theatrical figures were his subject matter. He chose to explore the delicate balance between inner self and the public presentation of self.

However, it was in the area of fashion illustration that he honed his fluid watercolor technique and fine line. His model sketch classes at the Society of Illustrators demonstrate his love for the quick and comprehensive image of the model.

The history of the Society of Illustrators is richly described on their website.
The Society of Illustrators was founded on February 1, 1901 by a group of nine artists and one advising businessman with this credo: “The object of the Society shall be to promote generally the art of illustration and to hold exhibitions from time to time”. The first monthly dinners were attended by such prominent illustrators as Howard Pyle, Maxfield Parish, N.C. Wyeth, Charles Dana Gibson, Frederic Remington, James Montgomery Flagg, Howard Chandler Christy and special guests like Mark Twain and Gloria Swanson.

In 1920 the Society was incorporated and women became full members. The 20’s and 30’s were the heydays of the Illustrator’s Shows. These theatrical skits featured the artists and their models as actors, songwriters, set designers and painters. Professional Talent such as the Cotton Club Band and Jimmy Durante also performed. In August 1939, the Society moved into an 1875 carriage house, at 128 East 63rd Street. Norman Rockwell’s “Dover Coach” became the backdrop for the bar on the fourth floor. During WWII, the Society again contributed to the effort with a massive campaign of posters, illustrations and visits to veterans’ hospitals to sketch the wounded. Lectures and demonstrations filled the house during those years.

Herbert joined the Society of Illustrators in the 1920’s when he was the Associate Art Director working for the advertising firm, Calkins and Holden. He flourished in the advertising and fashion world, editing Brides Magazine and Butterick Publications from 1934 – 1939. Herbert left the commercial field of advertising and fashion during World War II to join the Office of War Information. At this post he was in charge of the purchase of all the artwork, which went through government printing such as the 7th War Loan (Iwo Jima). After the war he retired into the world of teaching, making his way to the Rhode Island School of Design in 1947 to teach in the Advertising Department and Fashion Illustration.

Herbert lived out the rest of his art career in Rhode Island becoming an active member of the Providence Art Club and the Newport Art Association. A versatile artist he successfully negotiated a commercial and fine arts career. Throughout his lifetime he had several important exhibits including the Salon d’Auton in Paris, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine arts, Chicago Art Institute, National Academy of Design, Providence Art Club, Newport Art Museum and the New York galleries of GRD Studio, Kraushaar Gallery and the Louis Bouche Gallery. Herbert was a member of the National Sculpture Society, Society of Illustrators, Art Directors Club, Rhode Island Federation of Art and his is listed in Who’s Who in American Art in 1953,1956,1959 and 1962 as well as the American Art Annual of 1933. For more information please call 401 751 2628.

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