Boardman Robinson
Boardman Robinson (1876-1952) was a prominent American illustrator and political cartoonist known for his strong socialist views and influential teaching career. Born in Somerset, Nova Scotia, he spent part of his childhood in Wales before moving to the United States, where he pursued art education in Boston and later in Paris. Robinson began his professional journey as an art editor at Vogue and went on to illustrate for the Morning Telegraph and the New York Tribune, where he developed a distinctive style using black crayon and ink washes.
During World War I, Robinson became a political correspondent, covering significant events across Europe and contributing to leftist publications like The Masses, where his works often reflected his political convictions. His cartoon “Making the World Safe for Capitalism” was notably scrutinized under the Espionage Act, leading to a trial that highlighted the tensions between art and politics during the war. In addition to his illustrations and cartoons, Robinson created notable murals, including those at the Department of Justice Building in Washington, D.C. and the RKO Building. He also taught at various institutions, influencing many artists throughout his career. Robinson's legacy includes contributions to significant literary works, showcasing his talent in both visual and illustrative arts.
Boardman Robinson
Visual artist
- Born: September 6, 1876
- Birthplace: Somerset, Nova Scotia
- Died: September 5, 1952
- Place of death: Stamford, Connecticut
Contribution: Boardman Robinson was a painter and illustrator best known for his political cartoons, his murals, and illustrations for famous literary works. A proclaimed supporter of socialism, many of his works reflected his political beliefs.
Early Life & and Education
Boardman Robinson was born on September 6, 1876 in Somerset, Nova Scotia, to a sea captain. Robinson spent his childhood in Wales but later moved to the United States and attended the Massachusetts Art School in Boston. In 1898, he studied in Paris at both the École des Beaux Arts and the Académie Colarossi. In 1904 Robinson began his career as an art editor for Vogue magazine.
Artistic Career
From 1907 to 1910, Robinson worked for the Morning Telegraph as an illustrator and a cartoonist in New York City. After that, he drew editorial cartoons for the New York Tribune from 1910 to 1914, where he developed his own style using black crayon with ink washes. In 1914, during World War I, Robinson resigned from the Tribune after having numerous conflicts with his editor, mostly stemming from his strong socialist views.
In 1915, while World War I continued, Robinson traveled overseas as a political correspondent to cover battlefronts in France, Germany, Russia, Serbia, Romania, and Bulgaria. When he returned to the United States, he started producing political cartoons for The Masses, a left-wing political magazine.
In 1916, while creating cartoons for The Masses, Robinson also contributed illustrations for John Reed’s book, War in Eastern Europe: Travels Through the Balkans. Robinson and Reed were familiar with each other’s works—they covered World War I together and shared similar political convictions.
Robinson was still working for The Masses in 1917 when the magazine came under the scrutiny of the US government. According to the government, articles and political cartoons in one issue, including Robinson’s cartoon “Making the World Safe for Capitalism,” violated the Espionage Act, which banned any writing or art that challenged the war effort. Many writers and artists stood trial for this crime, Robinson included. Although a jury acquitted all the individuals, the trial marked the end of The Masses.
From 1919 until 1930, Robinson taught at the Art Students League in New York City. After that he taught at the Fine Arts Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, from 1936 to 1947. Although he had a reputation for strong political beliefs and radical teaching methods, he influenced a number of successful artists during these years, including Edmund Duffy, Jacob Burck, Bill Tytla, and Russel Wright.
While teaching, Robinson contributed to a number of famous literary pieces. He illustrated The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky in 1933, Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters in 1941, and Moby Dick by Herman Melville in 1942.
Throughout his career, Robinson’s work appeared in a number of magazines and newspapers, including Scribner’s Magazine, Collier’s Weekly, The Suffragist, The Liberator, and Harper’s Weekly. He is also known for the famous murals he created for the Department of Justice Building in Washington, DC, and the lobby of the RKO Building, Rockefeller Center, in Manhattan.
Personal Life
Boardman Robinson married Sarah Senter Whitney on November 28, 1903. He died on September 5, 1952, in Stamford, Connecticut.
Principal Works
Murals
History of Commerce, Kaufman’s Department Store, Pittsburgh, 1929
Lobby mural, RKO Building, Rockefeller Center, New York City, 1932
Great Events and Figures of Law, Great Hall, Department of Justice, 1938
Colorado Stock Sale, United States Post Office, Englewood, Colorado, 1940
Political Cartoons
“Europe,” The Masses, 1916
“Making the World Safe for Capitalism,” The Masses, 1917
Illustrations
War in Eastern Europe: Travels through the Balkans, 1916
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, 1933
Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters, 1941
Moby Dick by Herman Melville, 1942
Bibliography
“Boardman Robinson’s Work as a Cartoonist: The Cartoon as a Means of Artistic Expression.” Current Literature 53 (1912): 461–464. Print.
Christ-Janer, Albert, et al. Boardman Robinson. [Chicago]: U of Chicago Press, 1946. Print.
Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. “Boardman Robinson.” Colorado SpringsFine Arts Center. Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, 2012. Web. 29 July 2013.
Falk, Peter Hastings, et al., eds. Who Was Who in American Art: 400 Years of Artists Active in America, 1564–1975. Vol. 3. 2nd ed. Madison: Sound View, 2001. Print.
Jewell, Edward Alden. “At Rockefeller Center; A Survey of the Recent Installations—Murals and Architectural Sculpture.” New York Times 24 Dec. 1933: X9. Print.
Motian-Meadows, Mary, and Georgia Garnsey. The Murals of Colorado: Walls That Speak. Boulder: Johnson, 2012. Print.
Robinson, Boardman, and Henry Adams. Boardman Robinson, American Muralist and Illustrator, 1876–1952: An Exhibition Organized by the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center September 21, 1996–January 12, 1997. Colorado Springs: Colorado Springs FAC, 1996. Print.