Rowan Nathaniel House

Rowan Nathaniel House, known as Nathan, (Dec. 13, 1908, - Jan. 26, 1947) was a mid-20th century artist of some renown. He used a variety of media including oil on canvas, water colors, and pen and ink.

Early life

Nathan was born in Mississippi to Nathaniel Perkins House (banker, cotton merchant, and farmer) and Rowena Thayer. He spent his childhood in Mineral Wells, just south of Memphis, Tennessee and later attended the Art Institute of Chicago. After the U.S. Stock Market crash of 1929, he returned to Cleveland, Mississippi to graduate from Delta State college (now Delta State University). He was striken with polio at the age of 19 which affected his left arm and leg, both of which were considerably smaller and weaker throughout his life as a result. He utilized the techniques of Elizabeth_Kenny in the treatment of his condition.

Career

During the years following the great depression, Nathan supported himself primarily through commercial art in Memphis, Tennessee. In particular, he painted portraits for young southern debutantes celebrating their coming out parties. Many such portraits were reproduced in the Commercial Appeal, the daily newspaper in Memphis.

In 1935, Nathan married Maxine Boggan and later moved to New York City, New York. While there, Nathan earned a living both as a commercial artist and a free-lance artist.

The subject which Nathan captured in his paintings most fequently was life in the "old South". Many of his works centered around cotton farming, farm workers, and various scenery relating to the rural lifestyle of early 20th century Mississippi. He was well known for his pen and ink drawings as well as portraits of a lot of people in the South.

Death

After the outbreak of WW II, he was hired by the Army Air Force to work on training films for pilots. He was in Orlando, Florida producing pictures of the first jets when he was striken with stomach cancer. His stomach was removed at Mount Sinai hospital in New York City. He then returned to Mississippi and the family home. He recuperated for a year before he attempted to work again. Nathan died in 1947 at the age of 38 from complications relating to his stomach cancer. He and Maxine never had children, most likely secondary to Nathan's polio.

Posthumous accomplishments

During the presidency of Jimmy Carter, several of Nathan's works hung in the Oval Office as part of the President's desire to promote southern artists. [http://roadsidegeorgia.com/site/carterlibrary.html Carter Presidential Library.] ]

Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi has several art scholarships in his memory and has many of Nathan's work on display. [http://www.deltastate.edu/pages/821.asp Delta State University art gallery.] ]

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