William F. Draper, Artist

Hopedale History

April 15, 2004

No. 14

William Draper Obituary

About a month ago we received a large donation of materials (three 14 x 14 x 14 inch boxes and a flat

package) for the Hopedale museum. The items belonged to William Draper who died last October,

and were sent to us by his daughter, Maggie Draper. Our thanks go to Paul Curran who put Maggie in

touch with us. The letters, diaries and books included will provide more entertaining material to send

your way in the future than an obituary but at the moment this is the best information I have on William

and I thought that this would be the time to pass it on to you.

But first a few words on a related matter from The Milford Daily News: Portraits North in Lexington,

also knows as Francesca Anderson Fine Art, pays tribute to the late William Draper, a Hopedale

native, in its 21st Annual Portrait Show, running at the gallery My 6 – June 12. As well as work by

Draper, the show features portraits by more than 50 artists. None of the artwork is for sale. Meet the

artists and some of their subjects at an opening reception taking place on Saturday, May 8, from 4 to 6

p.m. The gallery is located at 56 Adams St. Call 781-862-0660.

Who were the presidents and admirals painted by Draper? Find out in the Globe obituary below.

Several celebrities not mentioned here can be found in the New York Times obit. Both of them are at

http://www.hope1842.com/draperwartist.html

William Draper, 90; noted portrait painter, Navy artist

By Edgar J. Driscoll, Jr.

A memorial service will be held Dec. 12 for William F. Draper, one of the nation’s leading portrait

painters and an official combat artist for the US Navy during World War II. Mr. Draper, 90, a New

Yorker, died Oct. 26 of heart failure.

A native of Hopedale, Mass., he painted various notables during his long and distinguished career,

including Presidents Kennedy and Nixon and the Shah of Iran.

Many of his freely brushed and textured canvases can be found on the walls of Harvard University,

including a portrait of former Harvard president Nathan Pusey. He also painted Dr. Charles Mayo of

the Mayo Clinic, author James Michener, New York Archbishop Cardinal Terence Cooke, and New

York Mayor John Lindsay, among others.

“Portraits are always a challenge. It’s like a puzzle,” the artist once said.

Paul E. Curran, a friend of 20 years, said a Draper portrait was a “five day affair,” begun on Monday and

wrapped up Friday afternoon. Before he finished, he always got an objective opinion of the piece from

someone who knew his subject. “He’d get an opinion of how well he portrayed the individual,” Curran

said.

An artistic descendant of John Singer Sargent, who once described a portrait as a painting with

“something a little wrong with the mouth,” Mr. Draper had and expressive style that was very much his

own. He had his troubles with the mouth too. “The trick,” he said, “is not to paint the mouth in much

detail.”

Mr. Draper was born in Hopedale on Dec. 14, 1912, the son of Clare H. Draper and Mathilda G.

(Engman) Draper. He was a graduate of the Pomfret School and attended Harvard College, where he

was a member of the class of 1935.

He left college at the end of his sophomore year to study painting at the National Academy of Design

for two years. The he studied for a year in Paris and Spain before returning to this country to study

sculpture with George Demetrios in Boston. He also painted with Henry Hensche in Provincetown for

three summers and with John Corbino in Rockport.

During World War II, Mr. Draper was an official combat artist for the Navy, starting as a lieutenant junior

grade and finishing as a lieutenant commander. His assignments took him from the Aleutian Islands

through the southwest Pacific, where his pencil, pen, and brush recorded the invasion of Bougainville

and the landings of the Marines at Saipan and Guam. He was awarded the Bronze Star.

Before returning to civilian life, and his Park Avenue studio where he continued to paint for much of the

rest of his life, he painted portraits of, among others, Admirals Nimitz and Halsey and completed

murals for the US Naval Academy at Annapolis. The war paintings were reproduced in four issues of

National Geographic magazine and were exhibited in leading cities throughout the country and abroad.

For many years Mr. Draper showed at the Vose Galleries on Dartmouth Street, as well as at leading

galleries in New York. Many of his portraits are in Boston private collections. His work was also

included in group shows at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the

Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, the National gallery, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and the

National Academy of Design.

He was also known for his limericks and jokes, family and friends said. “He was wildly fun and an

eccentric character,” said his daughter Margaret Draper of Arcata, Calif.

He bred orchids for fun, co-founded the American Goldfish Society, and dug a fishpond in his backyard

to display his collection,” she said.

In addition to his daughter, Mr. Draper leaves a son, William, of Carbondale, Colo.; a sister, Lilla

Scharnberg of Needham; and five grandchildren. He was predeceased by his daughter Francesca.

The service will be held at the Century Club in New York.

The Boston Globe, November 13, 2003