Dorothy Grafly (later Drummond) (July 29, 1896 – November 13, 1980) was an American journalist, art critic, author, curator and philanthropist. Grafly wrote extensively for a wide variety of newspapers and magazines, and was described in Time magazine as "the ablest art critic in the city" of Philadelphia.[1] Her book A History of the Philadelphia Print Club appeared in 1929.[2][3] She served as the editor of Art Outlook (1943–1949) and the publisher and editor of Art in Focus (1949–1980).[4][5]
Dorothy Grafly | |
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Born | 29 July 1896 ![]() |
Died | 13 November 1980 ![]() |
Alma mater | |
Occupation | Journalist, art critic ![]() |
Parent(s) |
From 1932 to 1945, Grafly was curator at the Drexel Museum and Picture Gallery.[6] In 1996, her biographical memoir of her father, sculptor Charles Grafly, was published along with an exhibition catalog, The sculptor's clay: Charles Grafly, 1862–1929, celebrating his studio collection which Grafly and her husband had donated to the Edwin A. Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State University.[7][8]
Early life and education
editArtist and teacher Charles Grafly and his wife Frances Sekeles were married on June 7, 1895. Their daughter Dorothy Grafly was born[9][10] on July 29, 1896, in Paris, France,[11] where the family was visiting. Dorothy grew up at the family's home at 2140 N. 12th Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US. Her father had a studio at 2200 Arch Street[12] and taught at Drexel University and later Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA).[13]
Dorothy Grafly graduated from Wellesley College in 1918, at which time her address was given as 131 N. 20th St., Philadelphia, Pa.[14] Her poetry was included in the collection Poets of the Future. [15] She was a student of Radcliffe College at Harvard University in 1918–1919.[16]
Career
editGrafly wrote widely for newspapers and magazines[11] including the Philadelphia Public Ledger[9] The Philadelphia Inquirer,[17][18][19] The American Magazine of Art;[20] and Art and archaeology.[21] She was an art critic for The Philadelphia Bulletin;[22] art editor of the North American[23] and special correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor.[24]
In 1932, Grafly was appointed curator at the Drexel Museum and Picture Gallery, where she remained until 1945. She was active in developing both outreach and educational programs.[6] She served on the Advisory Art Committee at Drexel.[25] On August 9, 1946, she married attorney Charles H. Drummond.[11][26]
Grafly served as editor of Art Outlook from 1943 to 1949, a publication of Philip Ragan Associates. She was the publisher and editor of the monthly publication Art in Focus from 1949 to 1980.[4][5]
In 1971, Grafly and her husband donated the contents of Charles Grafly's studio to Wichita State University.[26] The Charles Drummond and Dorothy Grafly Drummond Fund supports the Ulrich Museum and the Grafly Gardens at Wichita State, where the sculptural works of Charles Grafly are presented.[27]
Archival collections
edit- Bust of Dorothy Grafly, by Frank Chinnici, Ulrich Museum of Art
- Dorothy Grafly Search, Special Collections and Archives, Drexel University
- Dorothy Grafly Search, Special Collections and Archives, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
- Dorothy Grafly Collection, Special Collections and Archives, Wichita State University Libraries
References
edit- ^ "Art: In Philadelphia". Time. 14 February 1938.
- ^ "The Print Club" (PDF). Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ Grafly, Dorothy (1929). A History of the Philadelphia Print Club. Philadelphia: The Philadelphia Print Club.
Illustrated by E. H. Suydam
- ^ a b "Art in focus, 1949–1980". Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ a b 158th Annual Report for the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts · PAFA Digital Archives · PAFA's Digital Archives. Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. February 3, 1964. p. 24.
- ^ a b "Museum records – Philadelphia Area Archives". findingaids.library.upenn.edu.
- ^ "Charles Grafly unpublished manuscript MS.016 Finding Aid prepared by Hoang Tran" (PDF). The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Dorothy and Kenneth Woodcock Archives. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
- ^ Knaub, Donald E.; Simpson, Pamela Hemenway (1996). The sculptor's clay: Charles Grafly (1862–1929); exhibition February 8 – April 7, 1996. Wichita, Kansas: Edwin A. Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State University. ISBN 9781887883009.
- ^ a b "Grafly". Arts Digest. Mid–May. Art Digest Incorporated: 11. 1929.
- ^ "Obituary for Charles Grafly part 1". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 6 May 1929. p. 1.
- ^ a b c The World Who's who of Women. Melrose Press. 1976. ISBN 978-0-900332-40-1.
- ^ Leonard, John William (1908). Men of America: A Biographical Dictionary of Contemporaries. L.R. Hamersly. pp. 1016–1017.
- ^ "Archives". Philadelphia Sketch Club.
- ^ Members of class of 1918 (PDF). The Wellesley Legenda. 1918. pp. 229, 234.
- ^ "Wellesley poets well represented". The Wellesley College News. March 13, 1919. p. 3.
- ^ "Drummond, Mrs. Charles H. (Dorothy Grafly) 'G (18–19)". Harvard Library, Harvard University.
- ^ Wolfe, Ross; DeLong, Lea Rosson. The Samstag legacy: an artist’s bequest (PDF). ISBN 978-0994335081.
- ^ Krause, Martin; Witkowski, Linda (September 28, 2009). "Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs: An Art in Its Making; article by Martin Krause and Linda Witkowski". Resource Library.
- ^ Holian, Heather (1 March 2024). ""Two Cadaverous Vultures": Disney's Gift to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York". Fantasy/Animation. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
- ^ Finkel, Ken (June 1, 2021). "Did the Samuel Memorial Deliver?". The Philly History Blog.
- ^ "Grafly, Dorothy. "Events and portents of fifty years." Art and archaeology 21 (April/May 1926). Photocopied excerpt, undated | Philadelphia Museum of Art Archives". pmalibrary.libraryhost.com.
- ^ Grafly, Dorothy (May 28, 1967). "Artist's Suicide Gives. Tragic Overtone to Exhibit" (PDF). Bulletin.
- ^ "Miss Grafly Slams 'Underworld of art'" (PDF). The Art News. Vol. 22, no. 37. June 21, 1924. p. 1. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
- ^ White, Theo B. (30 January 2017). The Philadelphia Art Alliance: Fifty Years, 1915–1965. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 52. ISBN 978-1-5128-1933-5.
- ^ "PHOTOGRAPHS SHOWN AT DREXEL". Philadelphia Art News. Vol. 1, no. 12. TAPAS Project. April 11, 1938.
- ^ a b Tolles, Thayer; Dimmick, Lauretta (1999). American Sculpture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Vol. 1. New York, N.Y.: Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 403.
- ^ "Charles Drummond and Dorothy Grafly Drummond Fund". Wichita State Foundation.