Jack Coggins
Jack Banham Coggins | |
---|---|
Born | London, England | July 10, 1911
Died | January 30, 2006 Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States | (aged 94)
Nationality | British, American |
Occupation(s) | Author, illustrator, and artist |
Spouse | Alma Wood (1948–2006) |
Jack Banham Coggins (July 10, 1911 – January 30, 2006) was an artist, author, and illustrator. He is known in the United States for his
During World War II, he served as an artist and correspondent for YANK magazine, capturing and conveying wartime scenes from the front lines. Over the course of his career, Coggins produced more than 1,000 paintings and taught art classes for 45 years. He retired in May 2001 and died at his home in Pennsylvania in January 2006.
Biography
Early life
Coggins was born in London, England on July 10, 1911, the only child of Ethel May (née Dobby) and Sydney George Coggins. Sydney Coggins was
Education
While his father served with the Life Guards Regiment in France during World War I, Coggins and his mother lived with family in Folkestone, Kent. He attended the Imperial Service College, a public school preferred by army families. After moving to New York, Coggins enrolled at Roslyn High School in Roslyn Heights where he found difficulty in adjusting to the difference between military school in England and New York city public school. After graduation from Roslyn in 1928 at age 17, he enrolled in the New York City Grand Central School of Art and studied under Edmund Greacen, George Pearse Ennis, and Wayman Adams.[2] In the early years, he painted advertising signs to support himself.[1] With a grounding in fine art techniques, Coggins graduated to the Art Students League of New York, where he studied from 1933 to 1934 under noted artist Frank DuMond.[2]
Marriage and later life
While a member of the faculty of Hunter College in New York, Coggins met Alma Wood, a fashion and photographic model.[6] They married in 1948 and moved to Pike Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, where Coggins had purchased an old farm. Alma named their home "Crestfield," which, according to Jack, meant absolutely nothing.[2]
Coggins taught his wife to paint, and she had success as an artist in her own right under the name Alma Woods. The couple would hold annual joint exhibitions for many years.[2] Alma Coggins assisted her husband in the planning, research and typing of many of his books, and he acknowledged her efforts with book dedications to her.[7]
He taught art classes at the Wyomissing Institute of the Arts from 1957 until 2001,[8] despite being handicapped by the loss of his left eye due to infection after an operation.[2]
Coggins was a signature member and Master Pastelist of the
Illustrator, author and artist
Military illustrations of World War II
Coggins's interest in sailing and maritime subjects began in London when he would sail model yachts on
During the early 1940s, Coggins obtained more work producing war pictures for other magazines, including a series of double-page spreads for the controversial newspaper
Because of the quality of his maritime illustrations, Coggins was invited by publisher
Coggins was called up for Army service, and enlisted on April 8, 1943.[22] He was pulled from basic training at Fort Eustis, Virginia before he could complete it to work as an illustrator for YANK magazine.[2] He was originally introduced to the Commanding Officer and Editor of YANK, Colonel Franklin Forsberg, by Fletcher Pratt.[1] On May 20, 1943, Coggins commenced work at the head office of YANK in New York, where he worked until his departure for Britain. Jack Coggins became a naturalized citizen of the United States on August 19, 1943.[23]
He served as an artist for British YANK in London until August 2, 1945, and was discharged from the U.S. Army on November 3, 1945.[24] After serving as a Private for most of his time abroad, he finally made Corporal, and just before discharge, Sergeant.[25] While in Britain, Coggins spent time on a Royal Navy convoy in the North Sea, witnessed the bombing of Saint-Lô,[1] and flew over Berlin in a Lancaster bomber.[2] He also spent time on a U.S. PT boat patrolling the beaches and made a trip into Brittany with an armored column.[2] Events from all of these sorties were illustrated in YANK magazine in double page spreads.[2][26]
Coggins was "bugged" by the fact that the
Science and science-fiction illustrations
During the late 1940s and early 1950s Coggins's marine art was featured on covers of Yachting Magazine[29] and other publications, as well as on advertising material,[30] and his science-fiction art illustrated covers for pulp science fiction magazines. These included Galaxy Science Fiction, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and Thrilling Wonder Stories.
Due to reduced interest in his pre-war work, Coggins applied for a position teaching watercolor at
In 1951 and 1952, Coggins collaborated again with Fletcher Pratt on two classic books: Rockets, Jets, Guided Missiles & Space Ships, and By Space Ship to the Moon. The books were released amidst the great wave of interest in space travel sweeping the United States and the rest of the world in the 1950s,
Books
Between 1941 and 1983, Coggins wrote or illustrated 44 books on a wide range of marine, military, historical and educational themes. Among his more famous works is the 1962 authoring and illustration of Arms and Equipment of the Civil War. Dale E. Biever, registrar at the Civil War Library and Museum in Philadelphia, described the work as "not about generals or battles but about the things one should know before delving into those areas ... a welcome addition to any Civil War library."[33] It was republished several times, most recently in 2004. In 1966, Coggins wrote and illustrated The Horseman's Bible, which sold over 500,000 copies with a revised edition published in 1984. In this book Coggins acknowledges his father "whose twenty five years in the cavalry and lifetime interest in horses made his advice invaluable."[34] Coggins's last book was Marine Painter's Guide, which was first published in 1983. After the book was published, he decided to stop writing to concentrate more on painting.[2] A new edition of Marine Painter's Guide was published in 2005 by Dover Publications, the publisher of new editions for several of his books.[35]
Other paintings and illustrations
In 1968, Coggins was invited to undertake part of a voyage on the
Coggins relied on a realistic style that was executed in oils, for which he had a preference. However, he also painted works in water colors and other media. The majority of his paintings have a maritime theme, about which he wrote "It seems strange that with so much of the globe covered by water, so few artists know how to paint it."[2] His stated preference in art styles was "a direct splashy type of realistic painting" and he admired the New Hope school of Redfield and Garber, with "no liking for 'modern art'".[2]
A catalog listing well over 1000 works has been posthumously compiled by his relatives.[37] A retrospective exhibition and sale of artworks found in Coggins's home after his death was held at the Wyomissing Institute of the Arts in late 2006. This consisted of about 300 previously unseen oils, watercolors, and other printed materials. An annual "Jack Coggins Award" to be given to a deserving local artist was financed from part of the proceeds from the sale of these works.[38][39]
As of 2001[update], Coggins's paintings are owned by the
Recognition
Coggins's work has been accepted for show by the American Watercolor Society, the Salmagundi Club, the American Artist Professional League, and the Pastel Society of America.[2] Coggins received a number of awards and accolades during his career, including the American Revolution Round Table Award in 1969, the Daniel Boone National Foundation's Americanism Award in 1985, the Mystic Maritime Gallery's Purchase Award in 1989, the International Maritime Exhibition's Rudolph Shaeffer Award from 1987 to 1990, and Berks Art Council's Pagoda Award in 1995.[11] In 2000, he was inducted to the International Association of Astronomical Artists Hall of Fame as a Living Legend and celebrated master of the genre of Space Art.[41]
References
Many of the cited references have convenience links to JackCoggins.info , where the originals have been scanned and collected. |
- ^ OCLC 14292774. Retrieved July 13, 2009.
- ^ OCLC 1589887. Retrieved July 13, 2009.
- ^ "No. 30875". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 August 1918. p. 10166.
- ^ "No. 31113". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 January 1919. p. 440.
- ^ "No. 32790". The London Gazette. 26 January 1923. p. 610.
- ^ a b Schira, Ron (March 25, 2007). "A painter, a model, a class act". Reading Eagle. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ^ E.g. Dedication in Marine Painter's Guide, published by Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1983, et al.
- ^ "75th Anniversary Coggins Award Recipient". Wyomissing, Pennsylvania: Wyomissing Institute of the Arts. 2009. Archived from the original on 2011-07-26. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
Since 2006, the Coggins Award has been awarded to a local, outstanding artist, and is named in honor of Jack Coggins, an internationally recognized artist who taught master art classes at the Institute of the Arts from 1957 until his retirement in 2001.
- ^ "Thirty-Seventh Annual Open Juried Exhibition for "Pastels Only"" (PDF). 2009. Pastel Society of America. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 30, 2010. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
- ^ "Alaskan Salmon Fishers". Objects. Mystic Seaport. Retrieved July 20, 2009.
Oil on canvas mounted on board; painting titled "Alaskan Salmon Fishers", by Jack Coggins. Signed lower right "JACK COGGINS, ASMA", and handwritten on back presumably by artist "ALASKAN SALMON FISHERS/ OIL 22X26/ JACK COGGINS, ASMA"
- ^ a b Matthew, Lavelle (Spring 2007). "Coggins, Jack Banham". Pennsylvania Center for the Book. Archived from the original on June 13, 2010. Retrieved July 13, 2009.
- ^ a b "Jack B. Coggins, author-illustrator" (PDF). Reading Eagle. Obituaries. February 2, 2006. p. 15. Retrieved 2007-05-07.
- ^ Coggins, Jack (July 15, 1940). "Imaginary Invasion of England (illustration)". LIFE. Vol. 9, no. 3. p. 20. Retrieved 2007-04-14.
- ^ "Jack Coggins: Life Magazine Illustrations". JackCoggins.info. Retrieved 2007-04-14.
- ^ "The Artists". Brown University. Archived from the original on January 6, 2010. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
- ^ Coggins, Jack (March 23, 1941). "Germany May Invade England in Barges Like These (illustrations for article)". PM Sunday Edition. 1 (40): 14–15. Retrieved 2007-04-14.
- ^ Coggins, Jack (July 1942). "Midnight off Cebu (illustration for advertisement)". The Rudder. 58 (7): 1. Retrieved 2007-04-14.
- ^ Coggins, Jack (January 25, 1943). "PT...For Plenty Tough (illustration for advertisement)". TIME. Vol. 41, no. 4. p. 65. Retrieved 2007-04-14.
- ^ Coggins, Jack (September 1943). "The Flying Fish With a Steel Lung (illustration for advertisement)". Country Gentleman. 113 (9): 48. Retrieved 2007-04-14.
- ^ Coggins, Jack (August 1942). "Bombers from the bottom of the Deep Blue Sea (illustration for advertisement)". Popular Science. 141 (2): 15. Retrieved 2007-04-14.
- ^ "Creator: Coggins, Jack". Digital Collections. University of North Texas Libraries. 2005. Retrieved 2007-04-14.
- ^ "Enlistment Records". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved July 20, 2009.
- ^ "Naturalization Records". Southern District Court, New York. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2009.
- ^ Military Personnel Records, National Personnel Records Center, National Archives, St. Louis, Missouri.
- ^ ISBN 1-55591-296-6.
- ^ "Jack Coggins: Yank Magazine Illustrations & Articles". JackCoggins.info. Retrieved 2007-04-14.
- ^ Coggins, Jack (January 9, 1944). "The 700 Year History of War Rockets (article and illustrations)". YANK Magazine (British Edition). 2 (30): 9–11. Retrieved 2007-04-14.
- ^ Coggins, Jack (February 20, 1944). "The German Fleet – A Brief Review (article and illustrations)". YANK Magazine (British Edition). 2 (36): 22–23. Retrieved 2007-04-14.
- ^ "Jack Coggins: Yachting Magazine Covers". JackCoggins.info. Retrieved 2009-07-10.
- ^ "Jack Coggins: Bristol Laboratories Advertising Brochures". JackCoggins.info. Retrieved 2009-07-10.
- ^ "International Editions of Coggins/Pratt Space Books". JackCoggins.info. Retrieved 2009-07-10.
- OCLC 4947036.
- ^ Biever, Dale E. "Arms and Equipment of the Civil War". Book Reviews. Archived from the original on August 28, 2006. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- OCLC 9918714.
- ^ "Jack Coggins". Dover Publications. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ^ "IEEE - OCEANS 88 - A partnership of Marine Interests (pp 840-841)". [www.gpo.gov]. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- ^ "Jack Coggins: Catalogues". JackCoggins.info. Retrieved 2008-08-22.
- ^ Schira, Ron (September 3, 2006). "Institute Prepares Coggins Retrospective" (PDF). Reading Eagle. Entertainment. p. 50. Retrieved 2007-05-07.
- ^ Schira, Ron (November 7, 2006). "Coggins Focused on the Single Work" (PDF). Reading Eagle. Entertainment. Retrieved 2007-05-07.
- ^ "Jack Coggins Papers". University of Southern Mississippi. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ^ "The Lucien Rudaux Memorial Gallery". International Association of Astronomical Artists. 2000. Retrieved 2007-04-22.
Further reading
- OCLC 60069023.
External links
- Jack Coggins reference site and tribute – created by his family – includes images of many of his works
- Jack Coggins at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Jack Coggins at Galenet
- Jack Coggins in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
- Jack Coggins at Library of Congress, with 34 library catalog records