Crockett Johnson studied typography from Frederic Goudy, Ruth Krauss learned about anthropology from Ruth Benedict, and they both knew Ad Reinhardt (who was a particular friend of Johnson’s).  Their acquaintances with the influential typographer, anthropologist, and abstract impressionist are all in the book – The Purple Crayon and a Hole to Dig: The Lives of Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss (forthcoming 2012). Because I’m fascinated by such intersections between people’s lives, here is the first of a series of connections I’ve had to omit.  Originally, I thought I might include these appendices, but the book is already longer than the publisher would like, and these would just take up more pages.
So, with links to relevant information about some of the names, here’s one on the American Committee for Spanish Freedom – a Popular Front group that opposed Franco’s fascists, and supported the Abraham Lincoln Brigades and others fighting for a democratic Spain.
Appendix A
American Committee for Spanish Freedom
55 West 42nd Street -Â New York 18, N.Y. -Â Lackawanna 4-9814
[December 1945]
| NATIONAL OFFICERS
Bishop Lewis O. Hartman Chairman Dr. Ruth Nanda Anshen Vice-Chairman S. L. M. Barlow Vice-Chairman Hon. John M. Coffee Vice-Chairman Vice-Chairman Allan Chase Secretary Samuel J. Novick Treasurer Joseph Sweat Director
EXECUTIVE BOARD Thomas Bouchard Dr. Louis Finger Leon Pomerance Martin Popper Edward Robinson Herbert A. Wise
Artists & Scientists Committee Olin Downes Yella Pessl
Interfaith Committee Rev. W. Ellis Davies Dr. T. S. Harten Dr. John A. Mackay Rev. William Howard Melish Dr. W. Stanley Rycroft Dr. Robert W. Searle
Labor Committee Eugene P. Connolly Jay Rubin
Women’s Committee Mrs. Ferdinand de Bermingham Mrs. Burton Emmett Mrs. B. W. Huebsch Alice Jayson Mrs. George Marshall Mrs. Lionel Perera, Jr. Mrs. Vincent Sheehan
SPONSORS Rev. Melvin Abson Rev. Charles B. Ackley Samuel Hopkins Adams James Luther Adams Bishop J. C. Baker Wade Crawford Barclay Albert Bein Elmer A. Benson Mrs. Nicolai Berezovsky Rev. L. M. Birkhead Algernon D. Black Anita Block Isidore Blumberg Alexander Brallowsky Joseph Brainin Prof. Edwin Berry Burgum Sam Burt Merlyn A. Chaffel Stewart Chaney Thomas Christensen Rev. Karl M. Chworowsky Walter Van Tillburg Clark Mrs. Alma Clayburgh Charles Collins Rev. T. C. Cooper |
Aaron Copland
Bishop Fred P. Corson William Cosgrove John H. Cowles Dr. Leo M. Davidoff Rev. A. Powell Davies M. R. Davis Dale Dewitt Dr. R. E. Diffendorfer Dean Dixon Mrs. Louis Dolivet Frederick May Eliot Clifford Evans William Feinberg Lawrence Fernsworth Betty Field Mrs. W. Osgood Field Eleanor Fowler Charles Friedman Walter Frisbie Stephen H. Fritchman William S. Gailmor Mortimer Gellis Irving Gilman Mrs. Harold K. Ginzburg H. Glintemkamp Louis Goldblatt Mrs. Israel Goldstein Ruth Gordon D. W. Greene James Griesi Chaim Gross Rev. Albert R. Hahn Mrs. J. Borden Harriman The Very Rev. H. S. Hathaway Mrs. William C. Hayes Rev. Stanley B. Hazzard Dr. I. W. Held Rev. Warren C. Herrick George R. Hewlett H. G. Hightower Randall S. Hilton Rev Chester E. Hodgson Libby Holman Alice Hughes Rev. M. P. Huntington Mrs. Raymond V. Ingersoll Stanley M. Isaacs Nathan Jacobson Sam Jaffe Albert E. Kahn Aben Kandel Dr. Foster Kennedy James V. King Alexander Kipnis Dr. C. Franklin Koch Rev. John M. Krumm Mrs. James L. Laidlaw Harold Lane Wilbur Laroe, Jr. Kenneth Leslie Rabbi Israel Leventhal Samuel Lewis David Lord Rev. Donald G. Lothrop Pierre Luboshutz Dr. John A. MacCallum Fritz Mahler Alicia Markova Benjamin C. Marsh Dorothy McConnell Bishop Francis J. McConnell |
John T. McManus
Lewis Merrill Nathan Milstein Hortense Monath Rev. G. Moore Morgan Dr. John R. Mott Morris Muster Frederick N. Myers Mrs. Richard Myers Rabbi F. Neuman Rev. William L. Nieman Rev. Rowland F. Nye Sarah Oppenheimer Sono Osato Jack Paley Cyrus R. Pangborn Rev. E. W. Parmelee Rev. Edward L. Parsons Rev. B. Pascale Elliot Paul Dr. John M. Pearson Wilfrid Pelletier W. W. Peters A. C. Petty Mishel Piastro Gregor Piatigorsky Dr. Louis W. Pitt Rabbi Benjamin Plotkin Dr. Gordon Poteat Rabbi Julius J. Price Michael J. Quill Rev. David Ralston Minnie F. Rands Samson Raphaelson Kenneth G. Read Anton Refregier Rev. Thomas Rehorn Mrs. Bernard Reiss Elmer Rice Rev. B. C. Robeson Raymond Robins Mrs. Nathaniel Ross Rev. John Saunders Dr. Bela Schik Mrs. William J. Schieffelin Mrs. M. Lincoln Schuster Bernard Segal Joseph Selly Lisa Sergio D. R. Sharpe Dr. Guy Emery Shipler Mrs. William L. Shirer Herman Shumlin Mrs. Kenneth F. Simpson Dr. Joseph R. Sizoo Edgar Snow Dr. Ralph Sockman Moses Soyer Raphael Soyer Dr. Sigmund Spaeth Joseph Stack Johannes Steel Estelle M. Sternberger Rev. Stanley I. Stuber F. M. Swing Alva W. Taylor Frank E. Taylor Max Torchin Pierre Van Passen Erwin Wagner Nym Wales J. Raymond Walsh Louis Weinstock Henry N. Wieman Rev. Claude Williams James Waterman Wise Mrs. Stephen S. Wise Dr. Gregory Zilborg Mrs. Gregory Zilborg |
Source: letterhead and list of sponsors, on letter from Milton Wolff, National Commander, Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, to Miss Shirley Johnson (Rockwell Kent’s secretary), 6 Dec. 1945, reel 5155, frame 181-182, Rockwell Kent Papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian.
If you liked this post, you might find the following entries marginally interesting, since all concern the creation of The Purple Crayon and a Hole to Dig: The Lives of Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss:
- The Text’s in the Mail (June 2011): in which I send the final version of the manuscript to my editor.
- News, Thanks, and Apologies (May 2011): in which I apologize for the post below, and indicate my current plan of action.
- Update, Featuring First 5 Paragraphs of the Book! (May 2011): ill-advised post, in which I express irritation and conflicting signals from editor.  I shouldn’t have posted this.
- On a First-Name Basis with People I’ve Never Met (Jan. 2011): early version of bit I added to intro.
- biography outtakes, part 8Â (June 2011): now featuring despair!
- biography outtakes, part 7Â (June 2011): killing my darlings. Â Some bits that I like but that do not need to be retained… and thus have been cut!
- biography outtakes, part 6Â (May 2011): some of the notes removed from this current round of editing.
- biography outtakes, part 5Â (Dec. 2010): this and those below are from the round of edits I did in the fall. Â In that round of editing, I removed 10,000 words.
- biography outtakes, part 4Â (Nov. 2010)
- biography outtakes, part 3Â (Nov. 2010)
- biography outtakes, part 2Â (Nov. 2010)
- biography outtakes, part 1Â (Nov. 2010)
Leda Schubert
Philip Nel