John Sloan 1871-1951 Series , bulk: 1950 - 2000, 1892 - 2012

John French Sloan (1871-1951) was an American artist born in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. In a series of circumstances in which his father sought work, his family relocated to Philadelphia, where he spent most of his adolescence into adulthood. Sloan attended Central High School in Philadelphia but had to drop out of school in order to support his family financially. Sloan mostly taught himself etching and painting from books, though he did take courses to improve his drafting at the Spring Garden Institute. Soon after, he enrolled in the antiques course at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art where he made life-long connections, such as with artist Robert Henri, who would later lead “The Eight” protest exhibition.

Sloan’s work in newspapers, such as the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Press, at the height of the poster period (circa 1890), led him to gain national recognition. In 1904 Sloan moved to New York with his first wife, Anna Maria “Dolly” Wall, where he spent what is recognized as his pivotal years as an American artist, creating book etchings and illustrations while painting in-between. Most notably during this period was his participation and aid in the organization of the iconic 1908 protest exhibition, deemed “The Eight” by reporters. Sloan began taking pupils in 1912 and continued to teach up util 1938. In 1919, he made his first trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where by 1920 he resided during the summers before building a home there in 1940. In 1943, his wife Dolly passed away from a heart attack, and in 1944, he married Hellen Farr (1911-2005). After John Sloan’s passing in 1951, Helen Farr Sloan made it her mission to preserve and promote his legacy until her death in 2005.

Paul Preston Davis volunteered at the Delaware Art Museum working alongside Helen Farr Sloan and assisted her in recording the John Sloan materials she donated to the Delaware Art Museum’s Library and Archives. During this time, Davis would bring to her attention materials such as exhibition and auction catalogues, periodicals and articles, posters, books and ephemera, that contain subject matter related to John Sloan. It is assumed that Helen possibly reciprocated these notions with materials from her own collection. Many of the materials within this series contain original notations and commentary by Farr Sloan to Davis.

A key interest Farr Sloan had was bringing attention to the newspaper poster work Sloan accomplished early in his career. A series of puzzle illustrations that Sloan completed under the Philadelphia Press was of particular interest at the time Farr Sloan and Davis collaborated at and outside of the Delaware Art Museum. At the time, a plan was made to work towards a publication on this set of Sloan’s works, but this never came to fruition. Davis continued his collecting and research in this venture to honor Farr Sloan’s wishes.