WINFIELD BEACON
WAYLAND NEWS
M. Catherine Lauderdale, Publisher
March 29, 2007
Stinson painting to be sold by Sotheby's
Harry Edward Stinson, former Winfield resident, is making the news once again for his art abilities.
Stinson's daughter, Carolyn Stinson Nichols, was quite shocked when she received an e-mail and a phone call from Sotheby's in New York asking if she could identify a painting with her father's name on it. They had located Carolyn through the information she fortuitously supplied the AskArt web site. "Apparently it (the painting) surfaced with a lot of things from the Louis C. Tiffany estate that they were preparing for a sale," commented Carolyn. "Sotheby's wanted to verify that it was his. It was a scene of a boathouse at the Tiffany estate at Laurelton, Oyster Bay, Long Island, NY and it had, in big brush strokes the name 'Harry Stinson 1925' on it. It was titled, 'Boathouse at Laurelton Hall'."
Since Carolyn did not recall ever hearing the name of Tiffany in connection with her Dad's art edu-cation, she at first told him she couldn't give him much help. However, after doing some checking, Carolyn discovered a newspaper article that did mention he had a connection to Tiffany.
The article read, "Mr. Stinson, who is an associate of the university department is a graduate of the University of Iowa. He studied a year at the Cumming School of Art in Des Moines, and for two years in New York. While at the National Academy of Design, he was a pupil of Robert I. Aitken, sculptor, and Charles W. Hawthorne and Ivan Olinsky, painters.
At the Art Students' League he studied drawing under George Bridgman. During 1923 Mr. Stinson was a resident painter member of the Louis C. Tiffany Foundation, Oyster Bay, NY…"
Needless to say Sotheby's was delighted; he now had the provenance he was seeking, which as we know increases the value of any object.
The 225 page catalog, the size of a thick Vogue magazine, for the March 31st sale, is full of color photos of expensive and beautiful pieces of glass, furniture, silver, and a few paintings. They put a value of $4,000-$6,000 on the painting. Carolyn said, " I was pleased that they did give it a respectable value. Dad would be tickled."
Carolyn has asked Sotheby's to let her know if the painting sells, and if so, what price it brought.
Harry Stinson was the only child of John "Jack" Rippey Stinson and Grace "Dot" Evelyn Bolding. He was born in Wayland on January 3, 1898.
Harry's father, Jack, moved to Winfield at the age of 10 with his parents, David B. Stinson and Grace Barbara McClaughry, in 1869 from Meredith, Delaware County, New York. David was a carpenter who came to America as a boy from County Armagh, Northrn Ireland. David is believed to have built the house Harry grew up in, in Winfield. Local residents will remember the house as the house owned by Merle and Wanda Linder.
Jack was a newspaperman and writer who learned his trade at the Winfield Beacon, apprenticing for E. G. Hinkle. Jack eventually became an editor, a column writer and part owner of the business before retiring in 1913.
Harry grew up and attended school through high school in Winfield. He loved baseball and played on the high school team.
On March 16, 1918, Harry enlisted in the U.S. Army and was sent to Europe in the Quartermaster Corps to fight in WWI. He was sent to France in June 1918 and returned in June of 1919. It was while he was in Europe that his interest in art was born. He received an Honorable Discharge with the rank of Sergeant.
In 1921, Harry received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Iowa in Geology and Art. In 1940 he received a Masters of Fine Arts in Art and Art History. While he was working on his Masters, he was an Associate Art Instructor and spent the year 1930 abroad doing individual study in France, Italy, Greece, Belgium and England. He also studied at the National Academy of Design, the Art Students League in NYC, and the Cumming School of Art.
In 1933 Harry married Ruth Eby in Davenport. They had two daughters, Norma born in 1936, Carolyn born in 1937, and a son Robert, born in 1950.
Harry spent several years working with Grant Wood on WPA projects. Harry's projects included the Lewis and Clark Memorial in Council Bluffs; the statue honoring Chief Blackhawk in Lake View; and sculptured walls installed in the Iowa Union Building of the University of Iowa to honor the sons and daughters of Iowa who served their country.
In 1940 he was hired by Hunter College of the City of New York. He stayed on the staff there until his retirement in 1965. While in New York City he produced a large number of sculptures first in wood, then in clay, then in stone and finally in welded steel. His works have been exhibited in many galleries and museums throughout the East and Midwest.
In 1966 Harry and Ruth moved to San Diego, CA to be near their daughters. Harry died in San Diego on July 27, 1975 at the age of 77.
Following the auction, the Beacon News hopes to be able to let our readers know what the sale price for the painting is. If anyone would like to donate toward the purchase of this piece by the Winfield Historical Museum, contact Judy Rawson, President of the organization.
Harry Edward Stinson, lower left corner, supervising the execution of his
design for Black Hawk statue for Lake View, Iowa in 1931-2. The
Black Hawk statue was dedicated in July 1934 and is located in
Crescent Park, on Black Hawk Lake, near the campgrounds.
THE HAWK EYE
March 29, 2007
Artist's work turns up at Sothebys
By KILEY MILLER
kmiller@thehawkeye.com
WINFIELD — An auction house known for dealing in über–artwork will sell an oil painting this weekend by a formerly famous but now nearly forgotten Winfield son.
An artist is not without honor except in his hometown. Such is the case with Harry Edward Stinson.
A well–regarded sculptor of the mid–20th century who earned Grant Wood's respect and praise, Stinson was born in Wayland and grew up in the quiet countryside of northern Henry County. He even played baseball for the high school team.
Sadly, Stinson has been ignored for many years in his childhood running ground. But now, thanks to a surprise find in the estate of a better–known American art figure, Stinson is getting some deserved attention around these parts.
Sotheby's, the world's second–oldest auction house, will take bids on one of his paintings this Saturday in New York.
Signed and dated in 1925 and titled "Boathouse at Laurelton Hall," the original oil painting, which turned up in the estate of Louis Comfort Tiffany, is expected to bring between $4,000 and $6,000.
If you don't recognize Tiffany's name, think glass. He is the magic–maker behind those multihued antique vases, lamp shades and other interior design pieces that have so many zeroes on their sale prices these days. His father, Charles Lewis Tiffany, founded jewelry purveyor Tiffany & Co.
Turns out, Stinson was once an artist–in–residence at Louis Tiffany's estate in Long Island. The name of that estate: Laurelton Hall.
Stinson's daughter, Carolyn Stinson Nichols, helped Sotheby's establish provenance for the painting when she found a news clipping in her father's papers mentioning his association with Tiffany.
Nichols now lives in California. She told the story in a recent e–mail to Judith Robinette, a go–getter with the Winfield Historical Society and, more than likely, one of the few folks here who know much about Stinson and his work.
"I was pleased that they did give (the painting) a respectable value," Nichols wrote. "Dad would be tickled. It will be interesting to see if it sells and how much it goes for, since he is not a well–known artist and not known as a painter."
Robinette certainly wants Lot 121 to sell, but she has a certain type of buyer in mind. She hopes some benevolent soul will win the bid for "Boathouse at Laurelton Hall" and bring it back to Winfield for public display.
Since learning about Stinson a few years ago, Robinette has been "tooting his horn" around town and around cyberspace. The historical society's Web site now has several pages dedicated to the sculptor, including a lengthy slide show of his work and a biography written by his daughter.
Stinson keeps "popping up" in local and state history during the 20th century, Robinette said.
That's not surprising. Judging by Nichol's biography, her father lived a full life.
Stinson was born on Jan. 31, 1898. His father, John "Jack" Stinson, was a newspaperman at the Winfield Beacon.
During World War I, Stinson spent a year in Europe with the Army Quartermaster Corps. It was there that his love of art took form.
After his military service, Stinson earned a degree from the University of Iowa, then set out on a creative journey that consumed the next four and a half decades.
At various times, he would study in Europe and the United States, teach, and even do some government work. The director of sculpture for Iowa's WPA division, he created lasting monuments such as the Lewis and Clark Memorial in Council Bluffs and a statue honoring Chief Black Hawk in Lake View.
Grant Wood led the state WPA effort at that time. Iowa's most famous and influential artist would later describe Stinson as a "rare combination of fine practicing artist and natural born teacher."
Wood and Stinson also worked together at the University of Iowa, where the latter served briefly as chairman of the art department and sculpted reliefs for the walls of the Iowa Union Building honoring the state's military service members.
In 1940, Stinson became one of the first students in the nation to earn a master of fine arts degree. That same year, he relocated with his family to New York City.
He spent the next 25 years teaching at Hunter College and turning out huge numbers of sculptures, progressing from wood through clay and stone to welded steel. Most of his works are held in private collections.
"A lot of what he did was ahead of his time," Robinette said.
Henry Edward Stinson died July 27, 1975, in San Diego. He was 77.
Mt. Pleasant News
Winfield native's painting on auction block
Compiled by Larry Kershner
An oil painting by Winfield native Harry Edward Stinson is going on sale this weekend at Sotheby's in New York, and has at least one Stinson fan in that town excited.
Judith Robinette, an ardent follower of one of Winfield's most famous sons, put the word out last week that Stinson's art print, "Boathouse at Laurelton Hall," has been valued at $4,000 to $6,000 by Sotheby's and it is on the auction block for this weekend.
Robinette hopes that perhaps a kindly benefactor might purchase the print and bring it back to Winfield. Although Stinson is known better for his sculpturing, which he started in the 1930s, he was an artist and signed the print in 1925.
Stinson's daughter, Carolyn Stinson Nichols provided Sotheby's with the provenance needed to determine that the print really was done by her father.
In an email letter that Nichols wrote to Robinette, the print surfaced "with a lot of things from the Lewis C. Tiffany estate that they were preparing for a sale."
Nichols described her digging through old papers when she "found a newspaper article that did mention he (Stinson) had a connection to Tiffany. The article reads:
"'Mr. Stinson, who is an associate of the university department is a graduate of the University of Iowa ... At the Art Students' League he studied drawing under George Bridgman. During 1923 Mr. Stinson was a resident painter-member of the Lewis C. Tiffany Foundation, Oyster Bay, NY...'"
"I was pleased that they did give it a respectable value, Dad would be tickled. It will be interesting to see if it sells and how much it goes for, since he is not a well-known artist, and not known as a painter."
Harry Edward Stinson was the only child of John "Jack" Rippey Stinson and Grace "Dot" Evelyn Bolding. He was born Jan. 3, 1898.
His father "Jack" Stinson came to Winfield, at the age of 10. David is believed to have built the house Harry grew up in, in Winfield.
Jack Stinson was a newspaperman and writer who learned his trade at the Winfield Beacon, apprenticing for E. G. Hinkle.Harry grew up and attended school in Winfield. He loved baseball and played on the high school team.
Harry enlisted in the U.S. Army on March 16, 1918 and was sent to Europe in the Quartermaster Corps to fight in WWI. He was sent to France in June 1918 and returned in June of 1919. It was while he was in Europe that his interest in art was born. He received an honorable discharge with the rank of sergeant. His interest and training in music enabled him to play the clarinet in an Army band.
In 1921 he received a B.A. degree from the University of Iowa in geology and art. In 1940 he received a Masters degree in art and art history. While he was working on his Masters he was an Associate Art Instructor and spent the year 1930 abroad doing individual study in France, Italy, Greece, Belgium and England
In 1939 he was appointed acting head of the art department at the University of Iowa.
He spent several years working with Grant Wood on WPA projects. Harry's projects included the Lewis and Clark Memorial in Council Bluffs, Iowa; the statue honoring Chief Blackhawk in Lake View, Iowa; and sculptured walls installed in the Iowa Union Building of the University of Iowa to honor the sons and daughters of Iowa who served their country.
He died in San Diego, Calif., on July 27, 1975 at the age of 77.
-Compiled by Larry Kershner
WINFIELD BEACON
WAYLAND NEWS
By Cathy Lauderdale
April 12, 2007
In the March 29, 2007 issue of the Winfield Beacon/Wayland News we reported that a painting done by former Winfield resident Harry Stinson was to be auctioned off by Sotheby's in New York. You will also recall that it was hoped that someone from the Winfield area would purchase the painting. This has happened.
"As I determinedly beat the bushes, out flew an art collector," said a board member of
the Winfield Historical Society.
The painting, "The Boathouse at Laurelton Hall," which turned up in the Louis C Tiffany estate and was auctioned March 31st at Sotheby's New York, was purchased by Gary Quinlin, Seattle, Washington, son of LeRoy and Verna Quinlin of Winfield.
Gary was doubly pleased to have purchased a painting connected to the Tiffany estate and that it was the work of sculptor, Harry E Stinson, Winfield High School Class of 1915.
Gary, an avid art collector, graduated from Winfield High School in 1980 and from the University of Iowa. Like Harry Stinson, Gary took a break before completing his Master's Degree; he spent two years in the Peace Corp.
The painting will be exhibited in Winfield on a date and time to be decided by the board of the Winfield Historical Society and the Quinlins.
