Spurgeon Tucker
Encyclopedia
Spurgeon Tucker was an accomplished 20th century American painter and successful lithographer
. He was primarily known for his portraits of Hollywood celebrities, but many would contend that his finest works were of the things he loved most: his family, everyday items from his Long Island
home and quiet countryside scenes.
He received acclaim in the 1950s after several exhibitions, including a showing at the Smithsonian, but chose to protect his amateur status and to keep the paintings in his family. Many of his paintings are unsigned.
, Canada
, on November 2, 1894, and was the second of three sons. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force
and became a pilot and an officer but World War I
ended before he was due to be sent to Europe.
He moved to New York City
and began working for Daniel Petigore, a lithographer. He later started his own lithography business, Spurgeon Tucker, Inc.. The business was successful and he had Ford
, Buick
, White Rock Beverages
, Chesterfield
, Sunshine Biscuits
, Bulova Watch and Borden Milk among his clients.
In 1935, he married Petigore’s daughter, Adlyn, and they had two daughters. In 1938, Tucker’s eldest daughter, Patricia, was featured in the Borden Milk billboards as the “Borden Baby”. He raised his family in 1185 Park Avenue
in New York City and in Bay Shore
, Long Island. In addition to art, he was passionate about baseball
and his garden in Long Island.
Tucker remained in New York City and enjoyed frequent trips to Long Island until his death from cancer
in 1968.
Tucker was a member of the Salmagundi Club
, and many of his works were exhibited at Salamagundi shows.
Tucker’s Geraniums was shown at The Smithsonian Institution, National Gallery of Art
, Washington, DC as a part of the American Artists Professional League, American Art Week Exhibition in 1963.
Tucker also exhibited at several shows in the New York City area.
, Maine
, or up and down Long Island and often pulled over to the side of the road when he saw a setting that moved him.
He also painted many objects from his Long Island home, and portraits of his family at home and on vacations. Some of the items from the still lifes and the clothes from the portraits have been saved with the paintings.
Lithography
Lithography is a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface...
. He was primarily known for his portraits of Hollywood celebrities, but many would contend that his finest works were of the things he loved most: his family, everyday items from his Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
home and quiet countryside scenes.
He received acclaim in the 1950s after several exhibitions, including a showing at the Smithsonian, but chose to protect his amateur status and to keep the paintings in his family. Many of his paintings are unsigned.
Personal life
Tucker was born to Bertha Hampton and William Tucker in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, on November 2, 1894, and was the second of three sons. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
and became a pilot and an officer but World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
ended before he was due to be sent to Europe.
He moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and began working for Daniel Petigore, a lithographer. He later started his own lithography business, Spurgeon Tucker, Inc.. The business was successful and he had Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
, Buick
Buick
Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...
, White Rock Beverages
White Rock Beverages
White Rock Beverages is an American beverage company located in Whitestone, NY. The company was established in 1871 by pharmacist H.M. Colver in Waukesha, Wisconsin...
, Chesterfield
Chesterfield (cigarette)
Chesterfield is a brand of cigarette made by Altria. It was one of the most recognized brands of the early 20th century, but sales have declined steadily over the years. It was named for Chesterfield County, Virginia. Chesterfield is still being made today; it is still popular in Europe, but has...
, Sunshine Biscuits
Sunshine Biscuits
Sunshine Biscuits was an independent American baker of cookies, crackers, and cereals. The company, whose brand still appears today on a few products , was purchased by Keebler Company in 1996 which was subsequently purchased by Kellogg Company in 2000...
, Bulova Watch and Borden Milk among his clients.
In 1935, he married Petigore’s daughter, Adlyn, and they had two daughters. In 1938, Tucker’s eldest daughter, Patricia, was featured in the Borden Milk billboards as the “Borden Baby”. He raised his family in 1185 Park Avenue
Park Avenue (Manhattan)
Park Avenue is a wide boulevard that carries north and southbound traffic in New York City borough of Manhattan. Through most of its length, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east....
in New York City and in Bay Shore
Bay Shore, New York
Bay Shore is a hamlet and a census-designated place located in the Town of Islip, Suffolk County, New York, USA. It is situated on the south shore of Long Island, adjoining the Great South Bay. Bay Shore celebrated its 300th anniversary in 2008. The population of the CDP was 23,852 at the time of...
, Long Island. In addition to art, he was passionate about baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and his garden in Long Island.
Tucker remained in New York City and enjoyed frequent trips to Long Island until his death from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in 1968.
Exhibitions
Salmagundi Club
The Salmagundi Club, also known as the Salmagundi Art Club, was founded in 1871 in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York, in the United States. It currently is located at 47 Fifth Avenue...
, and many of his works were exhibited at Salamagundi shows.
Tucker’s Geraniums was shown at The Smithsonian Institution, National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden is a national art museum, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, in Washington, DC...
, Washington, DC as a part of the American Artists Professional League, American Art Week Exhibition in 1963.
Tucker also exhibited at several shows in the New York City area.
Paintings
While mostly known for his celebrity portraits, the majority of Tucker’s paintings were quiet outdoor scenes, still lifes or family portraits. He often took day trips to the Catskill MountainsCatskill Mountains
The Catskill Mountains, an area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are a mature dissected plateau, an uplifted region that was subsequently eroded into sharp relief. They are an eastward continuation, and the highest representation, of the Allegheny Plateau...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, or up and down Long Island and often pulled over to the side of the road when he saw a setting that moved him.
He also painted many objects from his Long Island home, and portraits of his family at home and on vacations. Some of the items from the still lifes and the clothes from the portraits have been saved with the paintings.
Celebrity Portraits
Spurgeon Tucker’s celebrity portraits include- Anne Jeffries (as Kate, in “Kiss Me Kate”), 1950
- Uta HagenUta HagenUta Thyra Hagen was a German-born American actress and drama teacher. She originated the role of Martha in the 1963 Broadway premiere of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee...
as Saint JoanSaint Joan (play)Saint Joan is a play by George Bernard Shaw, based on the life and trial of Joan of Arc. Published not long after the canonization of Joan of Arc by the Roman Catholic Church, the play dramatises what is known of her life based on the substantial records of her trial. Shaw studied the transcripts...
(painting was reproduced on the cover of the large program during her Broadway run, and on the cover of the New York Times Sunday Magazine), 1951 - Dean MartinDean MartinDean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
and Jerry LewisJerry LewisJerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis...
to benefit the New York Heart Cardiac Fund, 1952 - Diana BarrymoreDiana BarrymoreDiana Barrymore was an American film and stage actress.-Early life:Born Diana Blanche Barrymore Blythe in New York City, New York, she was the daughter of renowned actor John Barrymore and his second wife, poet Blanche Oelrichs...
(painting was reproduced on the book jacket of her book “Too Much Too Soon” and was displayed at the Museum of the City of New YorkMuseum of the City of New YorkThe Museum of the City of New York is an art gallery and history museum founded in 1923 to present the history of New York City, USA and its people...
), 1957 - B. D. HymanB. D. HymanB. D. Hyman , aka B.D. Merrill, is an American author and pastor.Hyman was born in Santa Ana, California, the daughter of the actress Bette Davis and artist William Sherry. She was adopted by Davis's husband, Gary Merrill, in 1950...
, Bette Davis’ daughter, age 6 (BD mentions sitting for the portrait in her book, “My Mother's Keeper”) - Hetty GreenHetty GreenHetty Green , nicknamed "The Witch of Wall Street" , was an American businesswoman, remarkable for her frugality during the Gilded Age, as well as for being the first American woman to make a substantial impact on Wall Street.-Birth and early years:She was born Henrietta Howland Robinson in New...
(painted posthumously for the play, “Put Them All Together," starring Fay BainterFay BainterFay Okell Bainter was an American film and stage actress.-Early life:She was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Charles F. Bainter and Mary Okell. In 1910, she was a traveling stage actress...
and Kay MedfordKay MedfordKay Medford , was an American character actress and comedienne.She was born Margaret Kathleen O'Regan in New York City to James and Mary O'Regan, first-generation Irish-American parents, both of whom had died by the time she was 15 years old...
, was over the mantle on the set, and during the curtain calls where the painting took a bow) 1963 - Carlos Montelban
- Claire Boothe Luce (as Kate in “The Taming of the Shrew”)
- Danton Walker, the Daily News Broadway columnist
- Ethel Thorson
Books
- Barrymore, Diana and Frank, Gerold. Too Much, Too Soon. New York: Holt (1957)
- Lewis, Arthur H. The Day They Shook the Plum Tree. New York: Harcourt Brace (1963)
- Hyman, B.D., “My Mother's Keeper”. New York: William Morrow & Co(1985)