With its proximity to the cultural hub of New York City and its quieter suburban and rural landscapes, Connecticut was fertile ground for artists and writers in the period of Modernist movements between 1913 and 1979. Many of these cultural figures are well known through biographical and critical studies. Creative Places seeks to show how place played a significant role in creative work, and how in turn the artists and writers influenced communities in Connecticut.
Albert Dorne
Education/Curation, Illustration
1906 – 1965
A well known illustrator, Dorne also had a talent for encouraging new commercial artists, including through the Famous Artists School.
- Biography/Description of Work
Albert Dorne was born in New York City and grew up in a Lower East Side tenement. At the age of 13, he had to quit school in order to support his family, selling newspapers and doing other odd jobs. He began an apprenticeship during the day with an artist at the age of 16, while working nights as a shipping clerk, and had established himself as a commercial artist by the time he was 21. He worked for magazines such as Collier’s and The Saturday Evening Post, he became one of the highest paid illustrators of his time. Throughout his career, he won many honors and awards such as the Gold Medal for Distinguished Career by the New York Art Directors Club in 1953, and the Horatio Alger Award for Achievement by American Schools and Colleges Association, Inc. in 1963. President of the Society of Illustrators in 1947-1948, he saw through the establishment of the Famous Artists School, an initiative of the Society, in 1948. In 1956, Dorne donated his pictorial resource file of over 500,000 items to the Westport Public Library. Dorne died suddenly in 1965.
- Sources view
- Carley, Rachel. Creative Places: Modern Arts and Letters in Connecticut. Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation & State Historic Preservation Office, 2014; Famous Artists School website accessed 8/20/2014 at http://www.arthomestudy.com/; New York Times (1851-2010) accessed through ProQuest Historical Newspapers on 8/20/2014
They DREW their way from “Rags to Riches” – August 19, 1956
Albert Dorne, 61, Illustrator, Dies – December 16, 1965
Albert Dorne Article - New York Times - 1967-2-19, Albert Dorne Article - The Hartford Courant - 1957-5-5, Albert Dorne Article - The Hartford Courant - 1959-10-18, Albert Dorne Article - The Hartford Courant - 1964-8-28, Albert Dorne Article - The Hartford Courant - 1965-12-21, Albert Dorne Obituary - The Hartford Courant - 1965-12-16 - Associated Resource(s)