Artist Ardis Hughes has a true passion for illustration, and spent
much of his early career creating images to inspire Americans to
contribute to the war effort for World War II. He and his art agent,
Phyllis Cook, Pembroke Class of 1943, have recently donated four
pieces of his artwork to the Brown University Library.
A native of Oneonta, New York, Mr. Hughes studied art at the Pratt
Institute in New York City from 1931-1934. After graduating from
the Pratt Institute, he apprenticed with acclaimed illustrator Saul
Tepper. He earned his living doing freelance illustrations, and
working for Esquire Publications, including Esquire magazine, and
for a New York advertising agency.
In 1942, he received his draft letter and was sent to Fort Belvoir,
outside Washington, D.C., for basic training with the Corps of Engineers.
While in the camp, he joined an art program and began to paint murals
of soldiers training, to be hung on the walls of the barracks and
recreational buildings. The right people recognized his artistic
talent and the Treasury Department assigned him to make war bond
posters for the duration of the war.
The poster pictured here is the original watercolor design of one
of the war bonds posters designed by Mr. Hughes. It was reproduced
in Smithsonian magazine in February 2002.
Peter Harrington, curator of Brown University Libraryís Anne S.K.
Brown Military Collection, originally contacted Mr. Hughes because
he wanted information about the art program that ran at Fort Belvoir
from 1942 until 1944. "That is how we learned about the Military
Collection," said Phyllis Cook. "We were trying to think of what
to do with his artwork, and did not want to sell it to a private
collector. We felt that Brown University would be an excellent repository."
"I have closets full of art. There are sketches and paintings that
Iíve done throughout the world," said Ardis Hughes. "I was certainly
very glad that Brown University was interested in them." Mr. Hughes,
91, is still active as a painter of landscapes and portraits.
"We decided to donate four poster designs to the Military Collection,
as a start," said Cook. "Two are oils and the other two are opaque
watercolors."
The two poster designs in oil currently hang in the gallery of the
Military Collection, located in the John Hay Library. For more information
about the Anne S.K Brown Military Collection or to schedule an appointment
to view the watercolors, please contact Curator Peter Harrington
at 
Peter_Harrington@Brown.edu
or (401) 863-2414.
http://www.brown.edu/Facilities/University_Library
