Charles W. Hargens (1893-1997)
Hargens was born in South Dakota. Growing up in the West gave Hargens the basis from which to paint his Western scenes. As his skill and interest in painting progressed, Hargens moved east to study at Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. While at the Academy his work was influenced by instructor Daniel Garber. He became a member of the Society of Illustrators and the Philadelphia Sketch Club. Despite his new surroundings, Hargens painted and sketched scenes from his native western landsape and worked to accurately depict the often romanticized lifestyle of the working cowboy.
Hargens’ work was included in national magazines, history books and western stories. Publishers such as MacMillan and Doubleday featured Hargens art in their publications Gentlemen’s Quarterly and The Saturday Evening Post. Charles Hargens did not exhibit his work, as did many artist of his time, however, he was honored with the Community Serivce Award for Excellence in Art from Central Bucks County Chamber of Commerce in 1981. Hargens was a teacher at the Pennsylvania Academy of fine Arts and received an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Dakota Wesleyan University.