Delaware National
GuardHistory of Delaware Heritage paintings
(Information from The Historical Society of Delaware website)
As the horror of WWI drew to a close, The Ladies’ Home Journal hired local artists Frank Schoonover and Gayle Hoskins as well as 11 other artists to commemorate the war in a series of paintings. Beginning in 1918, these color illustrations (intended to be removed and framed) were offered as patriotic souvenirs for the American people. Before television brought images of today’s events into our homes, or movie theaters presented newsreels and heavily illustrated newspapers were still a thing of the future, the public depended on books and magazines of the Curtis Publishing empire to provide visual images of events at home or abroad.
Printing technology easily allowed reproductions of black and white photographs in newspapers, but photos often showed a harsh reality or didn’t capture the essence of a moment. Full-color printing presenting composed paintings, was available in the early 1900s. For families who lost a son or husband in the conflict, Frank Schoonover, Gayle Hoskins, and The Ladies’ Home Journal provided some of the only patriotic images, in color of heroic deeds and proud moments.
Noted illustrators Frank E. Schoonover and Gayle P. Hoskins trained under Delaware’s famous Howard Pyle. Both men enjoyed long careers as illustrators, working in their Wilmington studios. Neither artist traveled to Europe for this assignment instead gleaning their information from war correspondents and photographs. Both men posed models wearing uniforms provided by the War Department to create the large, colorful and detailed canvases used to produce printed images.
When Curtis finished with the paintings, the canvases were returned to the artists and life moved on. Occasionally a patron found one of these war scenes intriguing and purchased it, but most of the images remained in storage for the next fifty years.
In 1960, the Delaware National Guard began negotiating with National Guardsman Gayle Hoskins to
Acquire eight of these WWI paintings. Two years later, the Guard purchased additional nine paintings from Frank Schoonover. These large, colorful images graced the Delaware National Guard offices for the past forty years. Age darkened the varnishes and the once vibrant scenes slowly became dim and dirty looking. These treasures from two of Delaware’s famous illustrators were slipping into obscurity.
Due to the efforts of a Historical Society of Delaware board member and retired National Guard General, William Duncan, these historic painting received months of professional restoration and once again display the bright colors and crisp composition for which the Brandywine School of Illustration is known.
The Delaware National Guard Heritage Committee
Neither the Federal nor State Governments allocate funds for the restoration of the military artifacts and art held by the Delaware National Guard. Because of this, Adjutant General Francis D. Vavala formally established this committee on October 26, 2000, stating, ‘The committee shall be responsible for the custody, storage, accounting for, cataloging, transferring, and disposal of all historical artifacts and art of the Delaware National Guard.’
The committee operates its tax-exempt status as a charitable and historical agency as provided by Title 20 Delaware Code, Section 108, with contributions being tax deductible under IRS Regulations.
To date, the committee has funded the full restoration of the Guard-owned 18 Frank Schoonover and Gayle Hoskins World War I paintings for a cost of $20,000. These paintings will have their first public viewing in November 2002 as part of a World War I exhibit jointly sponsored by the Delaware National Guard and The Historical Society of Delaware. In addition, in concert with the Historical Society of Delaware, several thousand images of the Delaware Guard from the Spanish American War to date are being cataloged and preserved.
The committee is fully dependent on private contributions to meet the challenge of the responsibilities placed on it.
Projects for 2002 included the restoration of the World War II mural that hung for many years in the Georgetown Readiness Center, painted by an Italian POW at Fort Miles; providing an unveiling ceremony in Delaware for the first National Guard Heritage Series Painting devoted to Delaware – the rear guard action protecting Washington’s army at the battle of Long Island on August 17, 1776; and requesting Jamie Wyeth to inspect the murals he painted and held by the Air Guard to assure their proper preservation for the future. These projects alone will require in excess of $40,000.
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| 'The Battle of Long Island' - a National Guard Heritage painting by Domenick D'Andrea |
If you are interested in purchasing prints or postcards of The Delaware Regiment – The Battle of Long Island, or are interested in assisting the committee in its efforts through a tax-deductible contribution, please send correspondence to the Delaware National Guard Heritage Committee, Attn: Command Group, First Regiment Road, Wilmington, Delaware 19808
.