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John Langley Howard

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John Langley Howard
Born(1902-02-05)February 5, 1902
DiedNovember 15, 1999(1999-11-15) (aged 97)
NationalityAmerican
Other namesLang Howard
FatherJohn Galen Howard
RelativesRobert Boardman Howard (brother)
California Industrial Scenes mural detail at Coit Tower in San Francisco

John Langley "Lang" Howard (1902–1999)[1] was an American artist, known as a Social Realist muralist, printmaker and illustrator.[2][3]

Biography

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John Langley Howard was born in Upper Montclair, New Jersey, on February 5, 1902, the son of architect John Galen Howard and Mary Robertson Bradbury.[4][5][6] His siblings included Henry Temple Howard (1894–1967), Robert Boardman Howard (1896–1983), Charles Houghton Howard (1899–1978), and Jeanette Howard Wallace (1905–1998).[7] The family moved to California in 1904.[2] They settled in Berkeley, where John Galen Howard was hired to supervise the erection of the Hearst Memorial Mining Building at the University of California, Berkeley.

John Langley Howard attended University of California, Berkeley and studied engineering and English for one semester, leaving in 1922.[8][9][10] He switched to study art and initially enrolled in California College of Arts and Crafts and later at Art Students League of New York with Kenneth Hayes Miller.[9][11]

He painted one of the Coit Tower murals, California Industrial Scenes.[12][13][10] The mural was designed as a result of the atrocity of the Great Depression, and featured Karl Marx imagery which caused controversy when it was unveiled.[10]

From 1953 until 1965, Howard illustrated many covers for Scientific American magazine. He also created illustrations for Sports Illustrated magazine.[14]

Howard was married three times Adelaide Scofield Day Howard (in 1925); Blanche Phillips (in 1949); and Mary McMahon (in 1980).[2]

He died on November 15, 1999, in his home in the Potrero Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, California.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Oral history Interview with John Langley Howard and Mary Howard, 1991 Sept. 5". Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  2. ^ a b c d Temko, Allan (1999-11-26). "John Langley Howard". SFGATE. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  3. ^ Morgan, Ann Lee (2018-10-04). The Oxford Dictionary of American Art & Artists. Oxford University Press. p. 294. ISBN 978-0-19-107388-5.
  4. ^ Jewett, Masha Zakheim; Zakheim, Masha (1983). Coit Tower, San Francisco, Its History and Art. Volcano Press. p. 125. ISBN 978-0-912078-75-5.
  5. ^ "John Langley Howard". Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF). 2020-06-02. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  6. ^ Starr, Kevin (2002-11-28). The Dream Endures: California Enters the 1940s. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-992393-9.
  7. ^ Michelson, Alan. "John Galen Howard". Pacific Coast Architecture Database (PCAD). Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  8. ^ Williams, Reba; Williams, Dave (1991). Graphic Excursions--American Prints in Black and White, 1900-1950: Selections from the Collection of Reba and Dave Williams. Weatherspoon Art Gallery, American Federation of Arts. D.R. Godine. ISBN 978-0-87923-902-2.
  9. ^ a b "John Howard - Biography". Askart.com. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  10. ^ a b c "John L. Howard, Known for Coit Tower Murals". Newspapers.com. Los Angeles Times. 27 November 1999. p. 136. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  11. ^ "Artists and their work". Newspapers.com. Oakland Tribune. 18 March 1928. p. 40. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  12. ^ California History. Vol. 58. California Historical Society. 1979. pp. 106, 124.
  13. ^ Delehanty, Randolph (1989). San Francisco: The Ultimate Guide. Chronicle Books. p. 121. ISBN 978-0-87701-529-1.
  14. ^ "Blanche Phillips Howard and John Langley Howard papers, 1947-1981". Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. 1981. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
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