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.
Robert L. Lambdin
Painting/Drawing
1886 – 1981
A WPA artist, Lamden painted murals in Bridgeport and Westport.
- Biography/Description of Work
Robert Lambdin was born in Kansas, but moved to Denver when he was 7. He studied at the Reid School of Art in Denver and started his professional career as a newspaper artist. In 1917, he moved to New York City where he illustrated for notable magazines such as Collier’s, Cosmopolitan, and Red Book. Lambdin moved to Westport in 1918. He often made trips to the West to paint mountain landscapes and life on the Great Plains. During the Depression, he was commissioned to paint WPA murals in Westport schools, library and town hall. He also won the competition to paint three murals in the Bridgeport Post Office. In these murals he depicted the history of mail transportation. He also received commissions from Bridgeport Brass Company, the Beekman-Downtown Hospital in New York City, and from other industrial companies in Chicago. He was involved in some local committees in Westport, and became a trustee of the Westport Public Library and director of the Westport-Weston Arts Council. Lambdin died in Southport at the age of 94.
- Sources view
- Robert Lambdin Article - New York Times - 1944-1-5, Robert Lambdin Article - New York Times - 1984-12-9, Robert Lambdin Son Article - New York Times - 1932-12-31; Carley, Rachel. Creative Places: Modern Arts and Letters in Connecticut. Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation & State Historic Preservation Office, 2014; Westport Town Hall files accessed 7/22/2014 in the Historic District Commission Office, Rm. 108 in the Westport Town Hall:
PAL, Inc., Westport Town Hall Historic Resources Inventory – October 2011
McWeeney, L & Salvo, B., Westport Town Hall Historic Resources Inventory – 1983-84; The Hour; Robert L. Lambdin, 94, Painter, Illustrator, June 5, 1981 – accessed 7/24/2013 at http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1916&dat=19810605&id=TidJAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fAYNAAAAIBAJ&pg=1466,923482 - Associated Resource(s)