Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
Walter C. Hartson began his artistic career as a scenic artist. Over the course of two decades Hartson worked for scenic studios run by both Thomas G. Moses and Sosman & Landis in New York and Chicago. Even after he made a name for himself in the fine art world, Hartson continued to paint stage settings. By the end of his career, Hartson was associated with the Chicago Society of Artists, the Palette & Chisel Club, the Salmagundi Club, the Rochester Art Club, the Duchess County Art Association, New York’s Kit Kat Club, the New York Water Color Club, Allied Artists of America, the American Watercolor Society, the National Arts Club and the Grand Central Art galleries. Hartson was a full member of the National Academy of Design, and yet, continued to work as a scenic artist until his mid-40s. As a scenic artist Hartson was able to explore color and painting techniques on a large scale.
Walter Carroll Hartson was born in Wyoming, Iowa, on Oct. 27, 1866. He was the son of Lafayette F. Hartson (1825-1892) and Loirett S. Hartson (1843-1920). The second child of five, his siblings were Emma (b. 1853), Dewit W. (b. 1860), Flora M. (b. 1875) and Ansel (b. 1877). The year before Walter was born, the “Iowa State Gazetteer” listed his father as gunsmith. By 1870, Lafayette Hartson was listed as an insurance agent, a career that he would continue for more than a decade.
In 1880, Walter Hartson married Carlotta A. Ogden. Ogden was also born in Wyoming on September 9, 1866, the daughter of Edward & Mary Smith Ogden. They both attended elementary school until the fifth grade and married when they were twenty-four years old. The two initially lived in Chicago where Hartson continued his studies at the Art Institute. He exhibited his artworks alongside many contemporaries who also worked as scenic artists, including future Sosman & Landis staff members Hardesty Maratta, Fred McGreer, Edward Morange, Frank C. Peyraud, and Harry A. Vincent. In 1889, he was working at 263 State Street; this was the same address were McGreer and Vincent also worked that year. Merchants located at 263 State ranged from a photography studio to Martin Emerich Outfitting Co. If I had to hazard a guess, they were likely painting photographic backings.
Hartson, McGreer and Vincent became part of the Sosman & Landis West Side Force in the early 1890s, working directly with Thomas G. Moses at the annex studio. Throughout the 1880s, Hartson continued to make a name for himself as an easel artist too, and by the 1890s was exhibiting in one show after another across the country. Hartson became well known for his landscape painting and atmospheric effects. In Chicago and in New York, he was part of scenic art community that studied, worked and socialized together, planning sketching trips when they weren’t painting scenery for the stage.
Along with many scenic art colleagues in 1893, Hartson donated artwork to a charity sale for the destitute (Chicago Tribune, 31 Dec. 1893, page 18). It was during this decade, that Hartson was first recognized on a National level. In 1895, Hartson won the bronze medal for his artwork at the Atlanta Exposition. This award helped support his studies abroad. On Jan. 28, 1897, the “New York Times” announced, “Mr. Walter C. Hartson, who has spent the last two or three years in Holland, has placed on exhibition at the Klackner Galleries, 7 West Twenty-eighth Street, fifty-six oil and water-color paintings of scenes in the Netherlands, which show that he has spent his time in the lowlands to good advantage, It is unnecessary to describe Mrs. Hartson’s work, except as a whole, as the subjects of most of the paintings, as well as their execution, is almost similar in every instance. The work in general is marked by abundant sentiment, good tone and color, and sympathy with the misty moisture-laden atmosphere of the lowlands, and by a keen appreciation of the artistic possibilities of canal and meadow, of windmills and village houses and streets. Mr. Hartson has made a close study of the masters of the modern Dutch school, and to those who love the scenery and atmosphere of Holland , a visit to this collection will be found both interesting and delightful” (page 5).
By 1898 Hartson received an award for his “Fields of September” at the seventy-third annual exhibition of the National Academy of Design (Chicago Tribune, 26 March, 1898, page 1); the Third Hallgarten Prize. By 1900, Hartson exhibited in a watercolor exhibition at the Chicago Art Institute. The Chicago “Inter Ocean” commented on two of Hartson’s paintings in 1898:
“Of course, the best may not have been in sight, but some signed by Walter C. Hartson, arrested me. It is in tone and treatment much like a McIlhenny that stood not far away. Both these are in treatment between Corot and George Inness, Sr., although not so rich in color as the later. They lay in color, and then wash it down until everything is blurred, enveloped, atmospheric and gray. Still there is sufficient firmness and purpose, good modeling and no muddiness. Only an experienced painter can do this difficult thing.”
On Jun 26, 1898, the “Chicago Tribune,” mentioned his work, “Two cleverly painted water-colors of Dutch scenes by Walter C. Hartson, a former Chicago artist are shown at Thayer & Chandler’s. Both are light and lively in color and effect, and consequently more interesting than much of his more serious work, in which he inclined to blackness and heaviness” (June 26, 1898, page 33). It was is his ability to capture light and atmospheric effects that translated so well not only in Hartson’s easel art, but also in his scenic art for the stage.
Regardless of his fine art recognition, Hartson continued to work as a scenic artist. In 1902, Moses wrote, “We secured the paint room at the 14th Street Theatre, which gave us six frames. Walter C. Hartson and Arthur Barr joined our forces and our work kept on increasing. We now had an office in the Broadway Theatre Building, a bookkeeper and an office boy, with a very swell uniform. We were getting very classy. We were also starting a big payroll.” Hartson was working for Moses & Hamilton that year, not Sosman & Landis. In 1902, Hartson also won the Gold Medal of the American Art Society and by 1904 won the First Landscape Prize in the Osborne competition.
Hartson continued returned to Europe in 1907. His passport application listed his physical appearance at 41 yrs. old: 5’-10”, with high forehead, blue eyes, small nose, wide mouth, round chin, brown hair, fair complexion and oval face. On July 31, 1907, Hartson received a U. S. Consular Certificate from Henry Morgan, Consul, of the United States of America in Amsterdam, certifying that he was registered as an American Citizen in the consulate. The purpose of Hartson’s trip was listed as painting. The Hartson’s returned from oversees on June 24, 1908, sailing from Liverpool. Sketches from this trip resulted in a series of exhibits. Even in 1916 Hartson exhibited 26 water colors from sketches that he made on this Holland trip, the subjects being mostly marine and landscapes. On May 1, 1916, Brooklyn’s “Standard Union” advertised “An Exhibition of Water Colors by Walter C. Hartson.” Of Hartson’s credentials, the advertisement stated, “Mr. Hartson in 1895, at the Atlanta Exposition, received a bronze medal and honorable mention. The National Academy of Design, 1898, presented him with a Third Hallgarten Prize. He won the gold medal from the American Art Society in 1902, and in 1904, in the Osborne Competition, he won the first landscape prize.”
After his return to the United States in 1908, Hartson again worked as a scenic artist at Sosman & Landis in Chicago. In 1909, Thomas G. Moses wrote “Walter Hartson joined our force at 20th Street in August and seemed to be satisfied with conditions.” He also exhibited in the Windy City that year. On March 29, 1909, the “Chicago Tribune” reported that Walter C. Hartson, of New York, N.Y., and Jane Mahon Stanley of Detroit, Michigan, exhibited artworks at Marshall Field & Company picture galleries. It appears that returning to work as a scenic artist was the quickest way to make money after depleting one’s expenses after artistic studies in Europe, hence the return to Sosman & Landis in Chicago that year. From March 1910 until March 1911, Hartson and his wife again traveled overseas, visiting England, Holland and Belgium. At the time, the Hartson’s permanent address was at 53 West 126 St. in New York.
It is at this time that Hartson began listing himself in census reports and directories as a studio artist. The shift may have been prompted by newfound friends Arthur J. Powell, G. Glenn Newell and Harry Franklin Waltman. Newell, Waltman and Hartson eventually left the city to seek solace in the Dover Plains, each establishing a studio in the picturesque region. Hartman relocated around 1917 and worked from his studio in Wassaic, New York, following Newell with Waltman who slightly preceded him. Later, Powell joined the trio. It was the rolling hills of the Harlem Valley that kept the four men occupied (Poughkeepsie Journal, 21 June 1953, page 6A). Dozens of newspaper reports noted that the four artists painted the area with great affection.
All four men were born in small rural towns but sought their art careers in nearby metropolitan areas. Hartson, Waltman, and Newell studied extensively in Europe and each independently found their way to the New York art scene. All four artists became members of the Duchess County Art Association. On January 4, 1946, the “Poughkeepsie Journal” announced that the works of Hartson, Newell, Powell and Waltman were being honored by the Duchess County Art Association, with an exhibit of their work in the Campbell Hotel Gallery. Over the decades, their work was continually rediscovered. On February 25, 1977, the “Poughkeepsie Journal” announced another exhibit of the four artists’ works at the Thomas Barrett House in an article entitled, “Once Important, They’re Forgotten” (page 3). The author reported, “Their paintings still hang in the libraries, in school, the bank. You get a very definite sense of place with these paintings. It is definitely the Harlem Valley.” Powell also worked as a scenic artist, and in 1927 painted a decorative panel for the first scenic artists ball held in Chicago.
The 1920s were a defining period for Hartson. He and his wife again planned and international tour with stops in China, Japan, India, Italy, and Greece. They traveled for five months, returning from Cherbourg on May 19, 1924.
The last two decades of Hartson’s life were spent painting in Amenia, Duchess County, New York. The same month that he was honored by the Duchess Country Art Association, his wife of sixty-six years passed away. Carlotta Hartson died on Jan. 26, 1946. The two were separated for less than seven months, as Walter followed her in death on July 19, 1946. Hartson’s obituary was published in the “Harlem Valley Times” on July 25, 1946:
Walter Carroll Hartson, 80, Wassaic, well known landscape artist, died Friday in Canaan, Conn. He was born in Wyoming, Iowa, son of Lafayette and Loretta Johnson Hartson. On Dec 20, 1888, he married Carlotta Ogden of Wyoming, who died Jan. 27 of this year. Mr. Hartson studied at the Chicago Art Institute, and after some years in that city, moved to New York City, where he combined work in his own studio with the painting of stage scenery. In the early years of the century, he lived in Holland, where he did considerable work in water colors. During that period, he won the Hallgarten prize of the National Academy of Design, the landscape design for a Dutch windmill in the Osborne competition and a bronze medal for honorary mention at the Atlanta exposition. About 20 years ago, he purchased a home in Wassaic and established his studio there, where he continued to record in oil, the beautiful landscape of Duchess county.
By August of 1946, everything that the Hartson’s had once held dear was liquidated at an auction. On August 4, 1946, the “Hartford Courant” advertised “Important Estate Auction of Antiques, Furniture, Bric-a-Brac & Paintings for the estate of the late Walter C. Hartson of Wassaic, New York “(page 38). It is hard not to read through the list of their belongings listed for sale, and not feel profound loss. It is always hard to witness and entire estate liquidated, as it often defined a person, providing great insight into their travels and life. The last paragraph of the 1946 advertisement noted, “The SALE includes a large selection of original works of the late Mr. Hartson, who was a renowned LANDSCAPE ARTIST, having exhibited both in America and Europe, He was a well-known traveler, studying many years abroad. He won many honors, including the National Academy of Design in 1895. First landscape prize, Osborne Competition, New York City, 1904, and was a prominent members of many important artists clubs, including the Chicago Society of Artists, and the Allied Artists of America. This will be a rare opportunity for art lovers to acquire works of this well-known landscape artist. Sale positive. Terms. Cash.”
Their nephew, L. D. Hartson of Oberlin, Ohio, was the administrator of the estate. A professor at Oberlin College at the time, Louis Dunton Hartson was Dewit’s eldest son.
Regardless of the liquidation of Hartsons’ worldly possessions, his scenic art legacy lived on. Near the end of his career, Hartson was remembered by Art Oberbeck. Oberbeck was interviewed by Randi Givercer Frank for her Master’s Thesis, “The Sosman and Landis A Study of Scene Painting in Chicago, 1900-1925” (University of Texas, Austin).” Givercer wrote, “[Hartson] was a New York artist and one of the best exterior painters Art Oberbeck ever encountered. His advice on exterior painting was, “Never paint an exterior using chromes beyond middle distance, Use ochre and cobalt blue for distant green.”
To be continued…
