Blanche McVeigh (American, 1895 to 1970)
Fort Worth artist Blanche McVeigh is a fabled and mysterious historical figure. Relatively little is known about this accomplished printmaker. She was a co-founder of the Fort Worth School of Fine Arts in 1936 and an artist who had a profound influence on the Fort Worth Circle. Her figure drawing and, especially, printmaking classes were partly responsible for the high quality and rich tradition of the prints produced in Fort Worth during the 1930s, 1940s, and beyond. We do know that during the 1920s she studied at the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts where her instructor, Daniel Gardner, remarked that McVeigh was “born to the etching needle.” She also studied the making of aquatints with famed Prairie Printmaker Doel Reed in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Her most common subjects ranged from exquisite tree forms to landscapes to children’s portraits, Fort Worth landmarks, and images of African-Americans. This trio of prints represents some of the most sought-after artworks in the Texas art community and presents a glimpse of the master printmaking of Blanche McVeigh.
Information courtesy of Heritage Auction Galleries, January 2009.