By James Lomuscio
Walt Reed in his studio in the 1960s. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo
Ed Gerber, president of the Westport Historical Society, says it was a love of the town’s arts history, illustrators in particular, that forged a friendship 15 years ago with renowned illustrator Walt Reed who died at his Saugatuck home March 18 at age 97.
Gerber, a collector of art by George Hand Wright, an illustrator who ushered in Westport’s arts community in 1907, recalled being at Reed’s New York City gallery, in search of Wright’s work.
“I bought a lot of stuff through the gallery, Illustration House, then on West 25th Street,” Gerber said.
Reed, once described as the founding father of the study of American illustration as well as its chief archivist and its patron saint, started Illustration House, Inc. in 1973 in Westport. His son Roger Reed now operates it at 34 West 27 St.
For decades, the New York gallery was the nation’s premier advocate for illustration art. In addition to hosting exhibitions, the Reeds staged twice-yearly auctions and helped pioneer what has become a thriving market for original works of illustration.
“I remember being at his gallery one day, and he looked at his watch and said it’s 4:30, and that he had to catch a train back to Westport,” Gerber recalled. “I said, ‘Let’s catch a cab together.’ And he said, ‘Young man, let’s walk.’
“He was in is 80s at the time, and he wanted to walk, so we walked,” Gerber added. “And when we got to Westport, he would walk home to the Saugatuck Shores area. He did this every day.”
Walt Reed and the late Allen Raymond at the Westport Historical Society in 2012. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Larry Untermeyer for WestportNow.com
Gerber called Reed, a native of Texas who moved to Westport in the 1950s—and one of the original instructors of the former Famous Artist School—“a very gentle soul,” who was always upbeat.
Reed was also the author of several books on illustration, most notably the 1966 seminal work, “Illustrator in America, 1860-2000,” which has been called the foundation of all scholarship in the field. He was also a noted stamp artist, who in 1976 created the bicentennial sheet of 50 state flag stamps.
The WHS displayed the stamp in its 2012 exhibit on Westport artists who have designed U.S. postage stamps. The WHS also hosted a 2013 exhibit in its Mollie Donovan Gallery honoring Reed.
Gerber described “The Illustrator in America” as “a large book featuring everyone in the industry.”
“And he kindly signed my copy, ‘For Ed Gerber, George Wright fan and my friend, Walt Reed,’” Gerber said.
“In 2012 the Westport Historical Society had a fundraiser in which we sold original art by local artists,” Gerber noted. “We had it at the Westport Playhouse barn, and he (Reed) donated a whole bunch of Westport artists’ illustrations.
Reed’s “Illustrator in America, 1860-2000” has been called the foundation of all scholarship in the field. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo
“He said he wanted to give back to Westport,” he added.
At the Famous Artists School, which was located on Wilton Road (later the home of Save the Children and now the site of a planned development), Reed worked with other prominent artists and illustrators. They included Norman Rockwell, Steven Dohanos, Robert Fawcette, and Albert Dorne.
On its website, the Stockbridge, Mass.-based Norman Rockwell Museum said it is “saddened to learn of the passing of our friend Walt Reed (1917-2015).”
“An artist, author, and art historian, Reed had a lifelong commitment to scholarship relating to the art of illustration,” it said.
In June 2012, the museum awarded Reed with its first Distinguished Scholar Award “in recognition of his many achievements.”
Walt Arnold Reed was born in Big Springs, Texas on July 21, 1917 to Fay Reed and Edith Terpening. The eldest of five children, he took an early interest in illustrations.
“I had a natural feeling for pictures from the very beginning,” Reed told an interviewer. “I was first beguiled by the Sunday comics, even before I could read. I was a big fan of Happy Hooligan and Krazy Kat, but I was always puzzled by those rapidly changing backgrounds!”
Reed trained as an illustrator at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y. and the Phoenix Art Institute in New York City. According to the site, he worked as a book illustrator prior to joining the school’s instructional staff and later served as editor for North Light Publications from 1972 to 1976.
The Norman Rockwell Museum honored Walt Reed in 2012. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Norman Rockwell Museum photo
In addition to “The Illustrator in America,” Reed authored a number of books, including one about his fellow Westporter, “Harold von Schmidt Draws and Paints the Old West.” Reed said he had long admired von Schmidt and it was because of the friendship he forged with him that he moved to Westport in 1952.
Other titles included “John Clymer, An Artist’s Rendezvous with the Frontier West,” ” Great American Illustrators,” The Magic Pen of Joseph Clement Coll,” “The Art of Tom Lovell—an Invitation to History,” and ” Harvey Dunn: Illustrator and Painter of the Pioneer West.”
Historically, magazine illustration has received little scholarly attention. But that changed in November 2013 when Washington University in St. Louis announced it had acquired Reed’s Illustration House archives, along with a substantial number of original artworks.
“No one else championed the whole field the way Walt did,” said Jeff Pike, an illustrator and professor of communication design in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at the university when the announcement was made.
“Walt knew many of the illustrators he worked with and brought a level of knowledge and sophistication that were, frankly, unmatched,” Pike said. “His book ‘The Illustrator in America’ remains an invaluable reference, profiling hundreds of artists dating back to the Civil War.”
Other illustrators paid tribute to Reed by drawing his portrait. This one is by James Gurney. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Jamesgurney.com photo
“Most institutions and collectors approach this field with a narrow focus on a few trophy objects, and context gets lost,” said Roger Reed in the announcement, “whereas my father always took a broad stance, had catholic taste and shared information with all comers.
“Even a minor drawing could delight him in its draftsmanship or cultural resonance,” Reed added.
(Click here and scroll down the page to see some of the Illustration House archives acquired by Washington University in St. Louis.)
Westport illustrator and stamp artist Miggs Burroughs, said he knew Reed as “a fellow stamp artist.’
“I had the utmost respect for him and all he did for preserving the legacy of commercial illustrators,” Burroughs said.
According to Gerber, a memorial service for Reed is tentatively scheduled for April 20 at the Society of Illustrators located at 128 East 63 St. in New York City.
“The family would be happy to have anybody who knew Walt to come,” Gerber said. “His son said that it’s for the legions of fans of Walt. It’s pretty neat to be that age and to have legions of fans.”
He is survived by his wife, Mary, 93, and his three children: Stina Reed, of Newtown; Geoffrey Reed, of Bridgeport; and Roger Reed of Westport. He also is survived by four grandsons: Tucker Reed, Benjamin Reed, Nicholas Reed, and Maxwell Reed.
Donations in Reed’s name may be made to The Westport Historical Society, Westport, The Society of Illustrators in New York, or the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Mass.
Click here for Illustration Magazine’s 2012 in-depth article on Walt Reed.
I’m sorry to hear this but take pleasure in knowing what a wonderful, long life Walt lived. He was a tremendous friend to both my grandfather Harold von Schmidt and my father Eric von Schmidt. After Papa died, Walt did an amazing job helping me catalog all of Grandpa’s and Papa’s art that was left in the estate. He knew more about the art than I did myself, of course. I remember him from way back when my sister Megan and I were little and visiting Westport; he was unfailingly kind and patient and warm. I know Westport will miss him tremendously, as will I. Our thoughts go out to his lovely wife Mary at this time.