John Edward Costigan Group Of Workers 1943 Original Print

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This artwork titled "Group of Workers" 1943, is an original lithograph on paper by noted American artist John Edward Costigan, … Read more This artwork titled "Group of Workers" 1943, is an original lithograph on paper by noted American artist John Edward Costigan, 1888-1972. It is hand signed and titled in pencil by the artist. The image size is 12 x 14.65 inches, framed size is 19.65 x 23 inches. Custom framed in a black metal frame, with off white matting. It is in excellent condition. An example of this particular artwork is held in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, in Washington DC.

About the artist.

A native of Providence, Rhode Island, John Costigan was a skilled landscape and figure painter who disdained portraits because "the subjects want flattering pictures."
He was orphaned and raised in New York by his aunt and uncle, the parents of songwriter, George M. Cohan. Mainly self-taught, Costigan studied briefly at the Art Students League and worked as a lithographer of theater posters. From that job he learned the printing processes that he later used in his many etchings. He began making his name in the fine arts in 1920, and throughout the decade, reaped numerous important prizes for his oils, watercolors and prints.
He served in the infantry in World War I and supported himself during the Depression with magazine illustration. For about a year during World War II, to remain financially solvent, he worked the night shift as a machine operator in a defense plant while continuing to paint and etch by day.
In the late 1960s, he enjoyed a revival of interest in his fine arts talents when more than 50 pieces were borrowed from museums and private collections to be toured nationally in a Smithsonian-sponsored Costigan retrospective. The work of John Edward Costigan is held in numerous collections and museums nationwide. See less