WALTER GODFREY DEMARIS (AMERICAN 1877-1947)

WALTER GODFREY DEMARIS (AMERICAN 1877-1947)
New York, circa 1910-1920
oil on canvas
96.5 x 71.1 cm (38 x 28 in.)
framed dimensions: 108 x 81.3 cm (42 1/2 x 32 in.)
signed lower left

LOT NOTES
Walter Godfrey DeMaris (September 24, 1877-January 30, 1947) was an American illustrator and cartoonist renowned for his contributions to early 20th-century publications. Born in Cedarville, New Jersey, he was the youngest of four surviving children of Charles DeMaris, a sloop captain and saloon proprietor, and Lucy Henderson. The family resided in Bridgeton, New Jersey.

DeMaris married Mabel Rebecca Greene on September 22, 1897. The couple had two children: a son, Merril DeMaris, who later became a commercial artist and writer for Walt Disney's "Snow White and Silly Symphonies," and a daughter, Martha.

In 1900, DeMaris studied at the Art Students League of New York. By 1903, his pen-and-ink illustrations were featured in a nationwide newspaper syndicate. Throughout his career, he contributed to magazines and newspapers such as Pearson's, Harper's, Modern Priscilla, Appleton's, The Saturday Evening Post, Life, and Judge. His work encompassed both humorous cartoons and serious illustrations, including World War I posters.

During the Great Depression, DeMaris's artwork appeared more frequently in pulp magazines, including The All-Story, Adventure, Detective Fiction Weekly, Munsey's, The People's, Romance, Short Stories, and West. In 1923, he moved to New Rochelle, New York, an artist community where notable figures like Norman Rockwell and Joseph and Frank Leyendecker also resided.

Keywords: Illustration art, oil painting, Walt Disney

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