Robert Weaver Collection (MGHL00003), ca. 1950-1980 | MGHL Modern Graphic History Library

By Special Collections Staff

Printer-friendly |

Collection Overview

Title: Robert Weaver Collection (MGHL00003), ca. 1950-1980

ID: MGHL/mghl00003

Primary Creator: Robert Weaver

Extent: 80.5 Linear Feet

Arrangement:

Items are arranged by art medium and material type.

The collection is divided into 13 series as follows:

Series 1: Original Art: graphite on paper

Series 2: Original Art: graphite on board

Series 3: Original Art: collage binders

Series 4: Original Art: paintings on paper

Series 5: Original Art: paintings on board

Series 6: Original Art: paintings on canvas

Series 7: Original Art: pastels on paper and board

Series 8: Original Art: mixed media

Series 9: Original Art: shadow box collages

Series 10: Published Materials: tear sheets

Series 11: Published Materials: other material types

Series 12: Published Materials: projects

Series 13: Personal Papers

Date Acquired: 00/00/2004. More info below under Accruals.

Subjects: Magazine illustration--20th century, Weaver, Robert, 1924-

Languages: English

Scope and Contents of the Materials

This collection includes original artwork in various formats and published material by Robert Weaver mainly dating between the 1950s and the 1970s.

Collection Historical Note

Beginning in the 1950s, Robert Weaver epitomized a socially engaged approach to commercial illustration, drawing the human drama from the immediacy of life. By integrating formal and conceptual currents from fine art practices, he altered the practice’s methodologies thus dramatically expanding its possibilities.

Weaver was born in 1924, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He studied at the Carnegie Institute, the Art Student’s League in New York, and the Accademia delle Belle Arti in Venice. He began his career in New York in 1952 and over the next three decades, his work appeared in Esquire, Fortune, Life, Look, Playboy, Seventeen, Sports Illustrated, and TV Guide, among many other publications. Weaver’s emphasis on expressionistic, bravura paint-handling wed with unstable narrative content moved the goals of illustration away from depicting an expected point of heightened drama, “to violate the sense of natural relationships,” as he put it. His was an art that flaunted subjectivity, a “visual journalism” truer to life than the compositional niceties and slick brushwork of the generation preceding.

With his bold line always dominant, and a focus on the lively urban landscape, Weaver left the process visible, reflecting his commitment to manifesting on the page the changing cultural climate. He stressed the importance of drawing life, from life, guided by a precisely rendered political conscience and incorporating collage elements that literally brought the physical world into his charged psychological space. Crucially, by fragmenting the image area he introduced multiple viewpoints and jagged sequential narrative into a traditionally fixed point of view, representing a cerebral approach to an illustration world in flux.

In addition to his magazine work, Weaver illustrated numerous books and record industry advertising campaigns. He was the recipient of numerous awards from The Society of Illustrators, which elected him into their Hall of Fame in 1985, and the Art Director’s Clubs of New York and Philadelphia. His work was the subject of the posthumous retrospective, “Seeing is Not Believing: The Art of Robert Weaver” at the Norman Rockwell Museum in 1997.

Weaver was a visiting faculty member at Syracuse University and taught at the School of Visual Arts in New York for more than thirty years, co-creating their Illustration as Visual Essay program. His teaching legacy was such that a 1997 issue of Drawing SVA was devoted to his memory, giving his former students the opportunity to reflect on his profound influence as an educator.

Sources: Author Unknown. “Pioneers: Robert Weaver,” Communication Arts, May/June 2000, pp. 106-109 and Walt and Roger Reed. Entry in The Illustrator in America.

Subject/Index Terms

Magazine illustration--20th century
Weaver, Robert, 1924-

Administrative Information

Repository: MGHL Modern Graphic History Library

Accruals: Accruals are interfiled within the collection.

Access Restrictions: There are no restrictions to access.

Use Restrictions:

Some restrictions, please contact the Modern Graphic History Library Curator at (314) 935-7741 or spec@wumail.wustl.edu.

Users of the collection must read and abide by the Rules for the use of Modern Graphic History Library materials.

Users of the collections who wish to use items from this collection, in whole or in part, in any form of publication (as defined in the form) must sign and submit to the Washington University Department of Special Collections a hard copy of the Notification of intent to publish Modern Graphic History Library materials form.

All publication not covered by fair use restricted to those who have permission of the copyright holder.

Acquisition Method: The collection was donated to University Archives by Robert Weaver's daughter Antonia Weaver Pelaez and by his brothers Daniel Weaver and Fritz Weaver in 2004 and 2007. It was later transferred to the Modern Graphic History Library.

Preferred Citation: Name of the Collection, Washington University Libraries, Department of Special Collections

Processing Information: The collection was processed by Washington University Department Special Collections Staff 2005, October 2007, and 2008. Item-level inventory was added by Jolie Braun in May 2012.

Finding Aid Revision History: This finding aid was entered into Archon by Jolie Braun in July 2012.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Original Art: graphite on paper],
[Series 2: Original Art: graphite on board],
[Series 3: Original Art: collage binders],
[Series 4: Original Art: paintings on paper],
[Series 5: Original Art: paintings on board],
[Series 6: Original Art: paintings on canvas],
[Series 7: Original Art: pastels on paper and board],
[Series 8: Original Art: mixed media],
[Series 9: Original Art: shadow box collages],
[Series 10: Published Materials: tearsheets],
[Series 11: Published Materials: other material types],
[Series 12: Published Materials: projects],
[Series 13: Personal Papers and works by other artists],
[All]

Series 1: Original Art: graphite on paper

Includes single and double-sided graphite sketches, the majority on sketchbook pages previous removed from spiral sketchpads by Robert Weaver. Two sets of materials organized by Robert Weaver are included in this series: one untitled sketchbook (red marbled paper cover) and one sketchbook titled "Spring Training."

Double-sided images are indicated with the notation "image on verso and recto."

Note: (Personal and Commercial works.)

Box 1

Item 1: Portrait of student in cap and gown
Item 2: Man with Henry George portrait and "Single Tax" book
Item 3: Portrait of man

Box 2

Item 1: "9th Avenue in the 1930's" / "Hoboken N.J. Parade": Note: Images on verso and recto.
Item 2: Storage room with crates / rough sketch
Item 3: Four men talking / man smoking

Box 3

Item 1: Man with tank: Note: Images on verso and recto.
Item 2: Alley with garbage cans
Item 3: Portrait of man

Box 4

Item 1: Two men on street
Item 2: Hands
Item 3: Police truck
Item 4: Police at desk
Item 5: Police with man

Box 5

Item 1: African American man seated
Item 2: Two African American men
Item 3: Profile of two African American men
Item 4: Man holding "KKK Wallace for President" sign

Box 6

Item 1: Men writing at table
Item 2: "I've Got a Secret" / Man at bar
Item 3: Police searching African American man
Item 4: Man in front of barricade reading "Police Line Do Not Cross"

Box 7

Item 1: Figure at table
Item 2: Artist drawing portrait
Item 3: Arcade game
Item 4: "Lower East Side" / African American man at microphone

Box 8

Item 1: Vendor selling crabs
Item 2: CBS Studios
Item 3: Woman seated
Item 4: Lower half of two men standing on protest sign in front of police line

Box 9

Item 1: African American men in line
Item 2: Man reading book
Item 3: African American man seated, leaning
Item 4: Artist at drawing board

Box 10

Item 1: African American man reading
Item 2: "Fulton St, Brookyln"
Item 3: Man with children
Item 4: Child on swing, seen through fence

Box 11

Item 1: Man yelling / police truck
Item 2: African American man in fighting stance
Item 3: African American man seated
Item 4: Police searching African American man
Item 5: Police station, summonses counter

Box 12

Item 1: 1920's automobile
Item 2: "Arresting officer"
Item 3: One man in profile, one from behind
Item 4: Five men in suits
Item 5: Police

Box 13

Item 1: "Hoaron High School" boy reading at desk
Item 2: "Remedial Reading Class" boy at desk
Item 3: "Birthplace of Babe Ruth, Balt" city street
Item 4: African American woman holding protest sign

Box 14

Item 1: Police truck
Item 2: Director's chair marked "Jackie Cooper"
Item 3: Children on playground
Item 4: "SF 66" Guard grabbing African American man by shoulder

Box 15

Item 1: Men watching circus elephant
Item 2: African American boy in fighting stance
Item 3: Two workers sawing wood
Item 4: Voting

Box 16

Item 1: Construction worker on street
Item 2: Man in workshop with tools
Item 3: "Music teacher" African American man with music lessons on chalkboard
Item 4: African American man holding "Think!" sign
Item 5: Man painting house

Box 17

Item 1: Man in wheelchair

Box 18

Item 1: Spring training sketchbook pages: Note: Some images on verso and recto.

Box 19

Item 1: Spring training sketchbook pages: Note: Some images on verso and recto.

Box 20

Item 1: Spring training sketchbook pages: Note: Some images on verso and recto.

Box 21

Item 1: Spring training sketchbook pages and original binder: Note: Some images on verso and recto.

Box 22

Item 1: Spring training sketchbook pages: Note: Some images on verso and recto.

Box 23

Item 1: Spring training sketchbook pages: Note: Some images on verso and recto.

Box 24

Item 1: Spring training sketchbook pages: Note: Some images on verso and recto.

Box 25

Item 1: Spring training sketchbook pages: Note: Some images on verso and recto.

Box 26

Item 1: Spring training sketchbook pages: Note: Some images on verso and recto.

Box 27

Item 1: Spring training sketchbook pages and original sketchbook: Note: Some images on verso and recto.

Drawer 17/15

Item 1: Woman seated

Series 2: Original Art: graphite on board

Box 1

Item 1: Man seated
Item 2: Profile of man seated
Item 3: African American man with glasses
Item 4: Children in lot with garbage
Item 5: Man seated with eyes closed

Box 2

Item 1: African American boy climbing fence
Item 2: Two men in front of ship
Item 3: Men playing cards
Item 4: African American boy seated and car
Item 5: African American man and woman watching TV

Box 3

Item 1: Children in lot with garbage
Item 2: "Youth Employment Service"
Item 3: Men on New York city street
Item 4: Sketches of shoeshine cases and doll heads

Box 4

Item 1: African American woman with children in kitchen
Item 2: African American men in prison cell

Series 3: Original Art: collage binders

Arranged by size, then alphabetically.

Each item is stored in a separate box.

Note: (Personal work.)

Box 1

Item 1: No title given.

Box 2

Item 1: ?

Box 3

Item 1: Antique, Articulated Paper To

Box 4

Item 1: Daily Times

Box 5

Item 1: Females 3

Box 6

Item 1: I Venezia Act 1

Box 7

Item 1: The Kite

Box 8

Item 1: Mutascope

Box 9

Item 1: Venezia 1849, A Boustrophedon

Box 10

Item 1: 4 x 3 II

Box 11

Item 1: Human Countenance a Mirror

Box 12

Item 1: Le Grand Tour

Box 13

Item 1: Paper View Ltd

Box 14

Item 1: Saints and Preserved

Box 15

Item 1: Stay Out: This Means

Box 16

Item 1: This Was Your Life

Box 17

Item 1: Trans

Box 18

Item 1: Auto De Fay

Box 19

Item 1: Circumstantial Evidence

Box 20

Item 1: Dissolving Views

Box 21

Item 1: Fountains of Unreason

Box 22

Item 1: Mystery, Magic and Fun

Box 23

Item 1: Nonsequences

Box 24

Item 1: See Variable Collages

Box 25

Item 1: Timeframes

Series 4: Original Art: paintings on paper

This series includes various types of paint material. Some have small amounts of mixed media.

Box 1

Item 1: Woman reading
Item 2: Street scence
Item 3: Bull with flowers

Box 2

Item 1: Window with banner
Item 2: Hospital room scene

Drawer 18/13

Item 1: Portrait of Tolstoy

Drawer 16

Item 1: Audience members seated

45.75 in. x 36 in. Item framed.

Above Drawer 16.

Series 5: Original Art: paintings on board

Drawer 18/1

Item 1: Street scene with violence, multiple frames
Item 2: "No No," Headless figures in suits, seen through fence

Drawer 18/2

Item 1: Girl crying / angel statue with blood splatter
Item 2: Street scene with collapsed man

Drawer 18/3

Item 1: Headless Jesus statue with three small images of houses
Item 2: Four hunters and wolf

Drawer 18/4

Item 1: Man in hat and overcoat, walking
Item 2: Early twentieth-century dentist office

Drawer 18/5

Item 1: Cubist abstract: Note: Item framed, some pieces loose

Drawer 18/7

Item 1: Men in suits
Item 2: Two images of man's face, obscured

Drawer 18/8

Item 1: Close up of face: Note: Slightly warped.
Item 2: "Life Mask," death mask, blankets: Note: Slightly warped.

Drawer 18/9

Item 1: Man on bench, stretched perspective: Note: This piece is on a very heavy one-inch board.

Drawer 18/10

Item 1: Man in suit, reading newspaper: Note: Item framed.
Item 2: Vendor at baseball game: Note: Item framed.

Drawer 18/11

Item 1: "Upper West Side," apartment buildings: Note: Item framed.

Box 1

Item 1: Reflection of bride and groom
Item 2: Body in cathedral
Item 3: Horse, obscured
Item 4: Girl in front of bulldozer
Item 5: Worker at construction site

Box 2

Item 1: House fire
Item 2: People seated; photos depicting several scenes between man and woman
Item 3: Transmitter[?]

Box 3

Item 1: Factory work: Item damaged
Item 2: Factory work
Item 3: Abstract
Item 4: Factory work

Box 4

Item 1: "In Excavating and Destruction"
Item 2: Dive bar with billboard

Box 5

Item 1: 3 images: African American boy running, studying, ordering food at a restaurant
Item 2: Men in the street
Item 3: Five boys, heads bowed
Item 4: Portrait of nineteenth-century man
Item 5: Calendar[?] abstract

Box 6

Item 1: Gang fight
Item 2: African American man with gate, building
Item 3: Portrait of Rudi Hoagland

Box 7

Item 1: Three African American men walking down street
Item 2: Children's artwork
Item 3: Pool hall
Item 4: Pool hall

Box 8

Item 1: Boy on bunk bed
Item 2: Boys on bunk bed
Item 3: "Elect Fitzgerald" poster
Item 4: Boy in tree

Box 9

Item 1: Faceless man
Item 2: Man's eyes, close up
Item 3: Boy on playground
Item 4: Boy on playground

Series 6: Original Art: paintings on canvas

This series includes various types of paint materials. Some have small amounts of mixed media.

Drawer 17/3

Item 1: Abstract: Note: Item framed.

Drawer 17/14

Item 1: Trapeeze artists: Note: Item framed.

Drawer 18/7

Item 1: Three images: Man's face, man's body, man reclining

Drawer 16

Item 1: Variety Photo Plays sign, man in hopsital bed, Dodgers pennant: Above Drawer 16; Dimensions: 24 in. x 50 in.
Item 2: Globe Hotel sign, fish, umbrella, etc.: Above Drawer 16; Dimensions: 25 in. x 51 in.

Item 4: St. Valentine's Day Massacre

Item 5: Performer balancing ball on finger, umbrella silhouette in background

Item 6: Picasso image, early modern man, clock, etc.

Dimensions: 24 in. x 50 in.

Note: Item framed

Series 7: Original Art: pastels on paper and board

This series includes both color and black and white pastels on board and on paper. Subjects include artwork for annual reports.

Note: (Predominantly commercial work.)

Box 1

Item 1: Portraits of business men for annual report

Box 2

Item 1: Portraits of business men for annual report

Box 3

Item 1: Portraits of business men for annual report

Box 4

Item 1: Portraits of couples for annual report

Box 5

Item 1: Group and individual portraits for annual report

Box 6

Item 1: Individual portraits

Box 7

Item 1: Mobil Annual Report

Box 8

Item 1: Mobil Annual Report

Box 9

Item 1: Portrait of man

Box 10

Item 1: 4 scenes: boy on bus, men in boardroom, man in electric chair, etc.

Box 11

Item 1: Mobil Annual Report

Series 8: Original Art: mixed media

This series includes items with pastel, paint, graphite, and / or other art materials on board and paper.

Drawer 17/8

Item 1: Priests in courtyard with Mary statue: Note: Slightly warped.
Item 2: Man with chart, face obscured by image of ship

Drawer 17/9

Item 1: Man in wheelchair, in apartment

Drawer 17/10

Item 1: Building collage: Note: New York Magazine cover, August 8, 1974
Item 2: Collage of woman

Drawer 17/11

Item 1: Barn and tree against blue sky

Drawer 17/12

Item 1: Man in suit with skeleton face
Item 2: 19th century man's face in pieces, man and woman in background

Drawer 17/13

Item 1: Various objects floating in front of door: apple, Coke bottle, da Vinci artwork, etc.
Item 2: Joseph McCarthy

Drawer 17/14

Item 1: "1783: The Unseen Eye is Watching You"
Item 2: Silhouette of 18th century man
Item 3: Abstract

Drawer 17/15

Item 14: "Hi-Ya-Ka-Wa"
Item 15: Multiple images: man shouting, police officer, John Wayne, soldier, etc.

Drawer 10

Item 1: Mixed media: Above Drawer 10; Dimensions: 28.5 in. x 36.5 in.; Note: Item framed. Blocks pieced together.

Item 1: Mixed media on canvas and wood with hardware

M02-R24-16

Note: Layered work with physical proportions similar to items in Series 9.

Box 1

Item 1: Silhouette of artist at easel
Item 2: People sitting on porch

Box 2

Item 1: Airplanes

Box 3

Item 1: Harry Truman in uniform / White House
Item 2: Letter folded, woman, figure reading
Item 3: Cartoon image of man smiling

Item 21: Cartoon image of man smiling

Box 4

Item 1: Rioters / Uncle Sam / downtown of city
Item 2: Ryan's Bar / bridge
Item 3: Woman / person drawing window shade
Item 4: Dancers

Box 5

Item 1: People on the phone, a bag of money
Item 2: Black and gray abstract

Box 6

Item 1: Four images of man in hospital bed
Item 2: Six full-length portraits of men and women
Item 3: Man's face, obscured by paper figures
Item 4: Man repairing machine

Box 7

Item 1: Eyes of a statue / skeleton in uniform
Item 2: Circus poster on chair
Item 3: Red and blue abstract
Item 4: Man's reflection in car

Box 8

Item 1: African American men shooting guns in front of funeral home
Item 2: Room interior in red, figures seen through window
Item 3: Room interior in gray, figures seen through window
Item 4: African American man yelling, running through woods
Item 5: Police throwing / man bent over

Box 9

Item 1: Target practice / cadaver
Item 2: Man with hands folded, theater
Item 3: Room interior, headless man, artist painting portrait
Item 4: Three anatomical men in suits

Box 10

Item 1: Two men and boy, small image of man behind bars
Item 2: Winston Churchill
Item 3: Two men in flood water
Item 4: Newspaper image of older couple against blue sky

Box 11

Item 1: Men around table / woman swimming nude
Item 2: Color portrait of two men, faces obscured
Item 3: Black and white portrait of two men, faces obscured
Item 4: African American children looking at African art in museum

Box 12

Item 1: Hitler, protestors, media
Item 2: Stalin and Hitler
Item 3: Bust of judge
Item 4: Man with map of Europe, London in background
Item 5: Collage of soldier

Series 9: Original Art: shadow box collages

This series contains three-dimensional works of art created with a variety of mixed media. Inquire with archives staff for printed guide to this series.

Note: Personal work.

Drawer 17

Item 1: Shadow box collages

Series 10: Published Materials: tearsheets

Boxes 1-2 consist of tearsheets of Weaver's work from various publications. Boxes 3-5 consist of whole issues.

Box 1

Folder 1: America: An Illustrated Diary of Its Most Exciting Years: 32 items.
Folder 2: Audience: 4 items.
Folder 3: Chemical and Engineering News: 3 items.
Folder 4: Christian Science Monitor: 1 item.
Folder 5: Cosmopolitan: 6 items.
Folder 6: Dial: 1 item.
Folder 7: Esquire: 7 items.
Folder 8: Fortune: 11 items.
Folder 9: Good Life: 1 item.
Folder 10: GQ: 2 items.
Folder 11: Graphis: 6 items.
Folder 12: Intellectual Digest: 1 item.
Folder 13: Ladies' Home Journal: 2 items.
Folder 14: Life: 3 items.
Folder 15: Look: 3 items.
Folder 16: McCall's: 2 items.
Folder 17: Mother Jones: 3 items.
Folder 18: My House Is Your House: 3 items.
Folder 19: Newsweek: 2 items.

Box 2

Folder 1: New York Magazine: 17 items.
Folder 2: New York News Magazine: 2 items.
Folder 3: New York Times: 6 items.
Folder 4: New York Times advertisements: 8 items.
Folder 5: New York Times Magazine: 17 items.
Folder 6: New York Times Weekly Background Student Report: 1 item.
Folder 7: New York: The World Journal Tribune: 12 items.
Folder 8: Playboy: 5 items.
Folder 9: Show: 3 items.
Folder 10: Sports Illustrated: 13 items.
Folder 11: Tennessee Gas: 1 item.
Folder 12: This Week: 2 items.
Folder 13: TIME: 4 items.
Folder 14: TRUE: 1 item.
Folder 15: TV Guide: 2 items.
Folder 16: Unidentified tear sheets: 14 items.
Folder 17: Venture: The Traveler's World: 4 items.
Folder 18: World Journal Tribune Book Week: 2 items.

Box 3

Folder 1: Audience: 1 item.
Folder 2: Drawing SVA: 2 items.
Folder 3: Esquire: 3 items.

Box 4

Folder 1: Graphis: 1 item.
Folder 2: Life: 1 item.
Folder 3: Line: 1 item.
Folder 4: Newsweek: 1 item.
Folder 5: New York Magazine: 2 items.
Folder 6: New York News Magazine: 1 item.

Box 5

Folder 1: New York Times Magazine: 5 items.
Folder 2: Pizzazz: 2 items.
Folder 3: Print: 4 items.
Folder 4: Stanford Medical Magazine: 1 item.
Folder 5: Sports Illustrated: 1 item.
Folder 6: Smith Kline &; French Laboratories: 3 items.

Box 6

Item 1: Binder of tearsheets: 156 items.; Note: Brown binder with tearsheets assembled by Robert Weaver.

Series 11: Published Materials: other material types

This series includes exhibit posters, publication proofs, album covers, and other published items featuring Weaver's work.

Drawer 17/7

Item 1: "When You Risk Becoming an Artist" School of Visual Arts poster: Dimensions: 29 in. x 43 in.; Note: Item framed, signed by Weaver.

Drawer 18/6

Item 1: "To Be Good Is not Enough" School of Visual Arts poster: Dimensions: 30 in. x 44 in.; Note: Item framed, signed by Weaver.

Drawer 18/14

Item 1: Posters, business materials
Item 2: Posters, biographical
Item 3: Posters, oversized
Item 4: Proofs, oversized

Box 1

Folder 1: Album covers
Folder 2: Album covers
Folder 3: Album covers

Box 2

Folder 1: Business publications

Box 3

Folder 1: Biographical information
Folder 2: Biographical information
Folder 3: Biographical information
Folder 5: Book jackets
Folder 6: Book jackets
Folder 7: Book jakcets
Folder 8: "A Television Notebook," CBS Television Network calendar 1960.: Includes handwritten notes by Robert Weaver
Folder 10: Duplicates of originals

Box 4

Folder 1: Entry forms
Folder 2: Entry forms
Folder 3: Exhibits
Folder 4: Gift books
Folder 5: Gift books
Folder 6: Gift books

Box 5

Folder 1: Posters
Folder 2: Posters, art prints
Folder 3: Proofs, article
Folder 4: Proofs, mounted
Folder 5: Proofs, mounted
Folder 6: Proofs, mounted
Folder 7: Proofs, single page
Folder 8: Proofs, single page

Box 6

Folder 1: Slides and transparencies
Folder 2: Stationary
Folder 3: A Texas Romance, 1909 (1964).

Box 7

Folder 1: Color Photocopy Notebook, "Brief Lives"

Series 12: Published Materials: projects

Items grouped by project, including both original art and published materials.

Box 1

Item 1: Journey All Alone materials: Note: Includes original artwork (graphite on paper, graphite on board, and paint on board) and published materials (book covers and proof sheets) for the book illustration project Journey All Alone.

Series 13: Personal Papers and works by other artists

Items grouped by date.

Box 1

Folder 1: Photocopy of a letter from John F. Kennedy March 20, 1959, March 20, 1959
Folder 2: Letter dated March 21, 1989 from the Society of Illustrators informing Robert Weaver he was elected to the Society of Illustration Hall of Fame along with an invitation to the October 18, 1990 reception where the award was given.
Folder 3: Picture of a man and child. Unidentified artist.