Anton Otto Fischer (February 23, 1882 – March 26, 1962) was a German-born American illustrator for the Saturday Evening Post.

Background

Born in Germany and orphaned at any early age, he ran away at the age of 15 to escape being forced into priesthood. He came to America as a deck hand on a German vessel. He sacrificed two months’ pay to obtain his freedom and then went on to sail on American ships for three years. For a fourteen-month period in 1905–1906, he worked as a model and general handyman for artist Arthur Burdette Frost. He went to Paris in October 1906 and studied for two years with

Jean Paul Laurens Jean-Paul Laurens (; 28 March 1838 – 23 March 1921) was a French painter and sculptor, and one of the last major exponents of the French Academic style. Biography Laurens was born in Fourquevaux and was a pupil of Léon Cogniet and Alexa ...

at the Academie Julian, spending summers painting landscapes in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

. Fischer returned to New York City in January 1908. After being influenced by

Howard Pyle Howard Pyle (March 5, 1853 – November 9, 1911) was an American illustrator and author, primarily of books for young people. He was a native of Wilmington, Delaware, and he spent the last year of his life in Florence, Italy. In 1894, he began ...

, he moved to

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington (Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

where he established a studio at 1110 Franklin Street. Pyle helped him transform his firsthand knowledge into pictorial drama, but had little success in enlivening his lead-colored palette. He freelanced in "subject pictures," or illustrations telling a human interest story that were in popular magazines of the day. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

he was made the artist laureate of the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

. Fischer married Mary Ellen ("May") Sigsbee (1877–1960) following her divorce from fellow artist William Balfour Ker (1877–1918). Sigsbee, Balfour Ker and Fischer were all artist and former students of

. After marriage, he adopted his wife's son from her first marriage, David (1906–1922). They first lived in Bushnellsville, New York before moving to a house near the intersection of Elmendorf Street and Ten Broeck Avenue in nearby Kingston. The house still stands today and has a large north facing window that gave Fischer the light he needed to paint. In 1914, the couple had a child of their own, Katrina Sigsbee Fischer (1914–1998). The family eventually settled into a house off Glasco Turnpike in

Woodstock, New York Woodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States, in the northern part of the county, northwest of Kingston, NY. It lies within the borders of the Catskill Park. The population was 5,884 at the 2010 census, down from 6,241 in 20 ...

just prior to

., September 24, 2011

Career as an illustrator

After moving back to New York City in 1910, Fischer sold his first illustration to "Harper's Weekly", then illustrated an "Everybody's Magazine" story by

Jack London John Griffith Chaney (January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to ...

, for whom he would illustrate many books and magazine stories until London's death in 1916. Also in 1910, Fischer began illustrating for "The Saturday Evening Post", a relationship that would last for forty-eight years. He illustrated such stories as Kyne's "Cappy Ricks," Gilpatrick's "Glencannon," as well as serials by Kenneth Roberts, and Nordoff and Hall. From 1909 to 1920 he created more than one-thousand illustrations featuring women and babies, pretty girls, dogs and horses, sports, the Navy and the sea. He later went on to illustrate Tugboat Annie in 1931. He confessed his favorite character was "that old reprobate Glencannon," with the big broom moustache.
at saturdayeveningpost.com, April 25, 2009 U.S. Navy Commander Lincoln Lothrop had once written to the artist: “My two lads, one of whom is now a twenty-two-year-old lieutenant in the Navy … used to cut out your pictures and pin them on the walls of their rooms. … You are responsible for recruiting many a seagoing lad.” His work on seas scapes got Fischer an invitation to lunch with Vice Admiral Russell Waesche,

Commandant of the Coast Guard The commandant of the Coast Guard is the service chief and highest-ranking member of the United States Coast Guard. The commandant is an admiral, appointed for a four-year term by the president of the United States upon confirmation by the Unit ...

for the purpose of recruiting at the height of

. The January 9, 1943,

Post Post or POST commonly refers to: *Mail, the postal system, especially in Commonwealth of Nations countries **An Post, the Irish national postal service **Canada Post, Canadian postal service **Deutsche Post, German postal service **Iraqi Post, Ira ...

described a good encounter with the Vice Admiral. Although Waesche knew Fischer was born in (Germany) and anti- New Dealer, but by late that same afternoon, Fischer was sworn in as a

lieutenant commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding ran ...

in the

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...

. He was charged with putting on canvas some of the heroic deeds of the Merchant Mariners and Coast Guardsmen, then considered at the time the least publicized men of the armed forces. His drawings are archived in the Coast Guard Academy in

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decade ...

. Also known for illustrating books such as Moby Dick, Treasure Island, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Anton Otto Fischer died far from his beloved sea in the Catskill Mountains of

, in 1962 at the age of 80. The Friends of Historic Kingston hosted a lecture featuring Fischer's great-nephew, Andre Mele, in September 2011. Mele remembered 'Uncle Otto' with a heavy German accent who often enjoyed playing the piano and smoking cigars. He could frequently be found gardening or listening to the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

on the radio through his headphones. Fischer was often sought after for his investment advice and amassed a $2 million fortune during his lifetime.

Examples of Fischer's Work

File:SatrudayEveningPost041610.jpg, ''Saturday Evening Post'' (April 16, 1910) File:Saturday Evening Post 2-11-1911.jpg, ''Saturday Evening Post'' (February 11, 1911) File:Captain at Sea.jpg, ''Captain at Sea'' (1911) oil on canvas, 27.5-inch. by 20.5-inch. File:Anton Otto Fischer Story Illustration 1911.jpg, ''Cosmopolitan Story Illustration'' (c. 1911) Oil on canvas en grisaille, 30-inch. x 21-inch. File:Man in Rigging.jpg, "Man in Rigging" (1918) oil on canvas, 30-inch. by 20-inch. File:The Scuffle Below 1918 Fischer.jpg, ''The Scuffle Below'' (1918) oil on canvas, 24-inch. x 28-inch. File:Saloon Shoot Out, 1919.jpg, ''Saloon Shoot Out'' (1919) oil on canvas, 30-inch. by 20-inch. File:Story illustration1.jpg, "Story Illustration" (1919) oil on canvas, 24.5-inch. by 16-inch. File:Peril at Sea, 1920.jpg, ''Peril at Sea" (1920) oil on canvas, 26-inch. by 30.25-inch. File:TheCountryGentleman April 16 1921.jpg, ''The Country Gentleman'' (April 16, 1921)

Notes

References

External links