Walter G. Ratterman or W. G. Ratterman, was a twentieth century American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 genre painter

Painting

Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...

 and illustrator

Illustrator

An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...

. In the 1920s, he had lived and painted in New York, where the majority of his artworks and illustrations were published. He subsequently moved and lived in Woodstock, New York from the 1930s. Ratterman's artwork was published in various American books and periodicals between the 1910s to the 1940s. He was a member of the Artists Guild of the Authors' League of America.

Artwork

The paintings by Ratterman were primarily genre works, in that they portrayed ordinary people engaged in common activities and depicted aspects of everyday life during the early part of the twentieth century.

A great number of his paintings were painted "en grisaille

Grisaille

Grisaille is a term for painting executed entirely in monochrome or near-monochrome, usually in shades of grey. It is particularly used in large decorative schemes in imitation of sculpture. Many grisailles in fact include a slightly wider colour range, like the Andrea del Sarto fresco...

" because they were used for reproduction as illustrations in books and periodicals prior to the introduction of four-color printing.

In addition to books, the Saturday Evening Post, Good Housekeeping

Good Housekeeping

Good Housekeeping is a women's magazine owned by the Hearst Corporation, featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, health as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good Housekeeping Seal," popularly known as the...

and Everybody's Magazine

Everybody's Magazine

Everybody's Magazine was an American magazine from 1899 to 1929.The magazine was founded by Philadelphia merchant John Wanamaker in 1899, though he had little role in its actual operations....

periodicals regularly featured his genre paintings.

His fellow artistic contemporaries included James Montgomery Flagg

James Montgomery Flagg

James Montgomery Flagg was an American artist and illustrator. He worked in media ranging from fine art painting to cartooning, but is best remembered for his political posters....

, and Howard Chandler Christy

Howard Chandler Christy

Howard Chandler Christy was an American artist and illustrator famous for the "Christy Girl", similar to a "Gibson Girl".He was born in Morgan County and attended early school in Duncan Falls, Ohio...

.

See also

• Genre works
• Illustration
  Illustration
  An illustration is a displayed visualization form presented as a drawing, painting, photograph or other work of art that is created to elucidate or dictate sensual information by providing a visual representation graphically.- Early history :The earliest forms of illustration were prehistoric...
  
  
• List of illustrators
• James Montgomery Flagg
  James Montgomery Flagg
  James Montgomery Flagg was an American artist and illustrator. He worked in media ranging from fine art painting to cartooning, but is best remembered for his political posters....
  
  
• Howard Chandler Christy
  Howard Chandler Christy
  Howard Chandler Christy was an American artist and illustrator famous for the "Christy Girl", similar to a "Gibson Girl".He was born in Morgan County and attended early school in Duncan Falls, Ohio...
  
  
• Norman Rockwell
  Norman Rockwell
  Norman Percevel Rockwell was a 20th-century American painter and illustrator. His works enjoy a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of American culture. Rockwell is most famous for the cover illustrations of everyday life scenarios he created for The Saturday Evening...
  
  
• Everett Raymond Kinstler
• Saturday Evening Post
• Good Housekeeping
  Good Housekeeping
  Good Housekeeping is a women's magazine owned by the Hearst Corporation, featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, health as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good Housekeeping Seal," popularly known as the...