William Weeks Hall Explained

William Weeks Hall
Birth Date:31 October 1895
Birth Place:Orleans Parish, Louisiana, U.S.
Death Place:Louisiana, U.S.
Education:Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Mother:Mary "Lily" Weeks
Father:Gilbert Lewis Hall

William Weeks Hall (1894–1958), was an American artist, photographer and art critic.[1] He was the last individual owner of the Shadows-on-the-Teche, a historic house and former sugar cane plantation.

Biography

William Weeks Hall was born in October 31, 1894 in Orleans Parish; to parents Gilbert Lewis Hall and Mary "Lily" Weeks.[2] His maternal grandparents David and Mary Conrad Weeks had built the Shadows-on-the-Teche plantation in 1834.

Hall attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA). Around 1917, Hall won a scholarship through PAFA to travel to Europe.[3] His early paintings were abstract. He lived in Paris for a few years after college. During World War I (1914–1918), Hall served in the Office of Naval Intelligence.

In 1920, Hall returned to New Iberia and in 1922 he started to restore the Shadows-on-the-Teche.[4] He had many notable guests and friends in the arts that would come visit him in New Iberia including D. W. Griffith,[5] Henry Miller,[6] [7] Cecil B. DeMille, among others. A New Iberian local musician Al E. Dieudonne dedicated his song, "Shadows-on-the-Teche" to Hall in 1930.[8]

In 1927, Hall was a charter member of the New Orleans Art League.[9] He injured his arm in 1937, and was forced to give up painting, and around this time he started to focus more on photography.[10]

Death and legacy

Hall died on June 27, 1958, and was initially buried at the Rose Hill Cemetery. In 1961, his body was moved to the family plot at Shadows-on-the-Teche cemetery. He never married. Hall left the Shadows-on-the-Teche to the National Trust for Historic Preservation after his death.[11]

Hall's art work is including in public museum collections at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.[12] In Henry Miller's book, The Air-Conditioned Nightmare (1945), includes information about his time in New Iberia and Hall is quoted (page 97).[13]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 28 June 1958. Weeks Hall Rites Held In Iberia. subscription. 2021-05-22. Newspapers.com. The Crowley Post-Signal. 2. en.
  2. Web site: 31 October 1894. William Weeks Hall in the New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., Birth Records Index, 1790-1915. subscription. Ancestry.com. State of Louisiana, Secretary of State, Division of Archives, Records Management, and History. Vital Records Indices. Baton Rouge, LA..
  3. Web site: 28 May 1917. Art Scholarship. subscription. 2021-05-22. Newspapers.com. The Morning News. 3. en.
  4. Book: Smith, George Everard Kidder. Source Book of American Architecture: 500 Notable Buildings from the 10th Century to the Present. 1996. Princeton Architectural Press. 978-1-56898-025-6. 178. en.
  5. Web site: 24 February 1923. D. W. Griffith Films "The White Rose" At New Iberia. subscription. 2021-05-22. Newspapers.com. Abbeville Meridional. 4. en.
  6. Web site: Warren. Mark. 2009-07-28. Acadiana: The Most Un-American Place in America. 2021-05-22. Esquire. en-US.
  7. Web site: Shadows-on-the-Teche - New Iberia LA. 2021-05-22. AAA.com.
  8. Web site: 3 October 1930. New Iberia Man Has Song Published. subscription. 2021-05-22. Newspapers.com. The Eunice News. 4. en.
  9. Web site: New Orleans Art League. 2021-05-22. 64 Parishes. en.
  10. Web site: 27 June 1961. William Weeks Hall Has A Final Resting Place At The Shadows. subscription. 2021-05-22. Newspapers.com. The Daily Advertiser. 9. en.
  11. Web site: Griffin. Bob. 4 August 1978. Let's Talk Travel, From New Iberia to New York. subscription. 2021-05-22. Newspapers.com. The Shreveport Journal. 10. en.
  12. Web site: Museum collection. 2021-05-22. Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA). en-US.
  13. Book: Donnelly, Jessica Foy. Interpreting Historic House Museums. 2002. Rowman Altamira. 978-0-7591-0251-4. 309. en.

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