Douglass Morse Howell Explained

Douglass Morse Howell
Birth Date:	30 November 1906
Birth Place:	New York City, New York, US
Death Place:	Hackettstown, New Jersey, US
Known For:	art papers, papermaking
Spouse:	Alice Orcutt
Children:	4

Douglass Morse Howell (1906 – 1994)^{[1] [2]} was an American papermaker, educator, and Modernist painter. He is known a pioneer in the field of paper art.

Early life and education

Douglass Morse Howell was born in November 30, 1906, in New York City, New York.^[3] His mother was Edna Mary Howell, a foreign correspondent for the Associated Press. Howell grew up in Florence and Genoa.^[4] He attended University of Turin. In 1930 during the Great Depression, he returned to the United States to work as a banker and literary agent.

Career

By the mid-19th century, making paper by hand was extinct in the United States.^[5] By 1912, fine book printer and publisher, Dard Hunter had reestablished the craft of fine hand paper making but by the 1930s the craft had lapsed in interest again. During World War II, Howell served in the military for five years. When Douglass Howell returned to New York City after serving in World War II, he established himself as a fine printer and discovered that art paper was in short supply. During the 1940s and 1950s, Howell started reading Hunter’s books on paper making, as well as he learned about hand paper making history, conducted paper making research, and learned about printed books.^{[6] [7]}

In May 1946, Howell had married educator Alice Orcutt (later known as Alice Howell Andersen) in New York City, the marriage ended in divorce.^{[8] [9]} They had four children, including daughter, Elisabeth Howell King.^[10]

The handmade papers were used for printmaking, artist book making, collage, drawing and watercolors.^[11] Howell created special handmade paper for artists Jackson Pollock, Jasper Johns, Larry Rivers, Alfonso A. Ossorio, and others.^[12] Later in his career, he moved the paper making operations to Long Island, New York. In 1993, Howell was honored by the American Craft Council as a gold medalist.

Howell died on February 6, 1994, in Hackettstown, New Jersey. His work is included in public museum collections including at the Art Institute of Chicago,^[13] the Harvard Art Museums,^[14] and other places.

One of his papermaking students was artist Golda Lewis (1915 – 2005).^[15]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Douglass Morse Howell. 2021-02-05. American Craft Council. en.
2. Book: Papermill, Dieu Donné. Rags to Riches: 25 Years of Paper Art from Dieu Donné Papermill. 2001. Dieu Donné Papermill. 978-0-9704072-4-5. 15, 85. en.
3. Douglass Morse Howell, Arrival Date: 12 Aug 1929, Year: 1929 ; Arrival: New York, New York, USA; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Line: 1; Page Number: 160
4. Web site: 12 February 1994. Douglass M. Howell, 87, artist known for hand papermaking. subscription. 2021-02-05. Newspapers.com. Daily Record, Morristown, New Jersey. 11. en.
5. Web site: Douglas Morse Howell, Papermaking Champion. 2021-02-05. North American Hand Papermakers. en-US.
6. Book: Schreyer, Alice D.. East-West, Hand Papermaking Traditions and Innovations: An Exhibition Catalogue. 1988. Hugh M. Morris Library, University of Delaware Library. University of Delaware Library. en.
7. Book: Weber, Therese. The Language of Paper: A History of 2000 Years. 2009. Marshall Cavendish Editions. 978-981-261-628-9. 65. en.
8. Web site: 13 July 1946. Orcutt-Howell Nuptials. subscription. 2021-02-05. Newspapers.com. Honolulu Star-Bulletin. 14. en.
9. Web site: 2011. Alice O. Howell papers, Sophia Smith Collection of Women's History. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210125074441/https://findingaids.smith.edu/repositories/2/resources/943 . 2021-01-25 . 2021-02-05. Smith College Special Collections, Smith College.
10. Web site: 13 February 1998. Events. subscription. 2021-02-05. Newspapers.com. The Berkshire Eagle. 32. en.
11. Web site: Douglass Morse Howell collection, Mortimer Rare Book Collection. 2021-02-05. Smith College Special Collections, Smith College.
12. Book: Paperwork. 1982. Australian National Gallery. Australian National Gallery. 9780642887092. 23. en.
13. Web site: Douglass Morse Howell. 2021-02-05. The Art Institute of Chicago. en.
14. Web site: Douglass Morse Howell, New York NY 1906 - 1994. 2021-02-05. Harvard Art Museums. en.
15. Book: Heller. Jules. North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century: A Biographical Dictionary. Heller. Nancy G.. 2013-12-19. Routledge. 978-1-135-63882-5. 339. en.