Design portfolio of L.E.R. Bumpus, Everett, Mass., 1926, 1950

Collection Type

  • Art

Location Note

HAV-01-403-Z-G-303

GUSN

GUSN-358072

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Description

Design portfolio of L.E.R. Bumpus, a student at the Vesper George School of Art. The portfolio measures 13 1/4 x 20 3/4 inches and contains design drawings of fireplace mantles, graded assignments, preliminary sketches and other assorted pieces of art, and printed ephemera such as a booklet on Leonardo da Vinci. The majority of the materials are dated circa 1926. The booklet on Leonardo da Vinci is dated 1950 and was added at a later date. The materials in this portfolio provide insight into the experience of an art student in Boston during the 1920s, as well into the educational practices of the Vesper George School of Art in the years following its founding.

Details

Descriptive Terms

portfolios (groups of works)
portfolios (containers)
preliminary sketches (sketches)
sketches
paintings (visual works)
design drawings
fireplaces
mantels
women (female humans)
flower (motif)
Nature
printed ephemera
catalogs
patterns (design elements)
motifs
floral patterns
portfolios (containers)
portfolios (groups of works)
sketches
design drawings
designs (concepts)

Physical Descrption

1 portfolio

Collection Code

GC001

Collection Name

Original art collection

Date of Acquisition

2021

Reference Code

GC001.USMA.Everett.784

Acqusition Type

Gift

Date Notes

1926, 1950

Credit Line

Bequest of Christopher P. Monkhouse, 2021

Places

Everett (Middlesex county, Massachusetts)
Boston (Suffolk county, Massachusetts)

Record Details

Originator

Bumpus, L.E.R. (Artist)

Material Type

portfolios (containers)
portfolios (groups of works)
sketches
design drawings
designs (concepts)

Other People

George, Vesper Lincoln, 1865-1934
Benjamin-Constant, 1845-1902
Lefebvre, Jules, 1836-1911
Doucet, Henri Lucien, 1856-1895
Capp, Al, 1909-1979
Everett, Bill, 1917-1973
Grant, Vernon, 1902-1990
Merritt, Francis Sumner, 1913-2000
Miner, Jan
Fulton Ross, Gale, 1947-

Other Organizations

Boston Art Club
Lowell Textile School
Boston Chamber of Commerce

Subjects

Art
School
art education

Art schools

Conservation Note

Materials were removed from the portfolio and kept in their original order. A piece of archival paper was interleaved between the portfolio materials and portfolio.

Restrictions

Overall in good condition. Some materials are very fragile as they are on tracing paper. Handle with care.

Description Level

Item

Location Note

HAV-01-403-Z-G-303

Historical/Biographical Note

Historical/Biographical Note

The Vesper George School of Art was founded in 1924 by Vesper Lincoln George, a Boston-born painter. He was born on June 4, 1865. He grew up and was educated in Boston before pursuing an art education in New York and Paris, studying under painters like Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant, Jules Lefebvre, and Lucien Doucet. He studied at the Art Students League in New York from 1888-1889 and at the Académie Julian in Paris from 1889-1892.

In 1897 George was selected to head to Decorative Art Department at the Lowell Textile School, where he worked until 1907. George was a member of the Mural Painters' Society and of the Architectural Society of New York, Boston Art Club, and Boston Chamber of Commerce. He died in 1934. During his life, he was known for his landscapes, portraits, and, most notably, his murals.

The Vesper George School of Art served the Boston art community by providing steady income to working artists who served as instructors and training the next generation of artists. Some notable alumni of the school are comic-book artists Al Capp, Bill Everett, and Vernon Grant, painter and printmaker Francis Sumner Merritt, actress Jan Miner, and visual artist Gale Fulton Ross. The Vesper George School of Art remained open in Boston until 1983.

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