Dorothy Wagner Puccinelli, also known as Dorothy Puccinelli Cravath (December 19, 1901 – May 24, 1974), was a New Deal-era artist and muralist. She was based in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Biography

Born as Dorothy Wagner on December 19, 1901, in

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

, at age five her family moved and settling in

Half Moon Bay, California Half Moon Bay is a coastal city in San Mateo County, California, United States, approximately south of San Francisco. Its population was 11,795 2020 census. Immediately north of Half Moon Bay is Pillar Point Harbor and the unincorporated co ...

. In 1919, she enrolled at the

California School of Fine Arts San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) was a private college of contemporary art in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1871, SFAI was one of the oldest art schools in the United States and the oldest west of the Mississippi River. Approximately ...

(now known as San Francisco Art Institute) and then continued in 1925 at the

Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design or Rudolph Schaeffer School of Rhythmo-Chromatic Design (1924 – 1984) was an art school located in San Francisco, California, best known for its courses in color and interior design. The school was founded by ...

in San Francisco to studied with

Beniamino Bufano Beniamino "Bene" Bufano (October 15, 1890August 18, 1970) was an Italian American sculptor, best known for his large-scale monuments representing peace and his modernist work which often featured smoothly rounded animals and relatively simple sha ...

. Her first marriage was to artist Raymond Puccinelli which ended in divorce. In 1941, Dorothy married Austin Cravath (brother of artist

Ruth Cravath Ruth Wakefield Cravath (1902–1986) was an American stonework artist and arts educator, specifically known for her public sculptures, busts and bas-reliefs in the San Francisco Bay Area. Biography Ruth Barrows Cravath was born in Chicago, Ill ...

) and together they had a daughter named Anne. In 1937, Puccinelli created a 6′ x 8′ tempera-on-canvas mural called ''Vacheros'' at the post office in

Merced, California Merced (; Spanish for "Mercy") is a city in, and the county seat of, Merced County, California, United States, in the San Joaquin Valley. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 86,333, up from 78,958 in 2010. Incorporated on Apri ...

. The mural was funded by the

Treasury Section of Fine Arts A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry; in a business context, corporate treasury. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be st ...

. In 1939, Puccinelli worked with artist,

Helen Katharine Forbes Helen Katharine Forbes (February 3, 1891 – May 27, 1945) was a Californian artist and arts educator specializing in etching, murals and painting. She is best known for western landscapes, portrait paintings, and her murals with the Treasury Sect ...

to paint the interior four panel murals of the ''Mother's Building'' at the

San Francisco Zoo The San Francisco Zoo and Gardens is a zoo located on the West Side (San Francisco), West Side of San Francisco, in the southwestern corner of the city between Lake Merced and the Pacific Ocean along the Great Highway. The zoo's main entrance (o ...

. The four murals depict a Noah's Ark-theme with animals and were funded by Federal Art Project (FAP) and Works Progress Administration (WPA). From 1978 until 2002, the ''Mother's Building'' served as a gift shop for the zoo, the mural is now in need of restoration and the room is only used for special events. In 1960 and 1975, Puccinelli and

Emmy Lou Packard Emmy Lou Packard, (1914–1998) also known as Betty Lou Packard, was an American visual artist and social activist in San Francisco, California. She was known for her paintings, printmaking, and murals, which were often political. Early life a ...

restored murals, including Coit Tower.

References

External links

* The Bancroft Library and Regional Oral History Office
San Francisco Artists Series Transcript with Dorothy Wagner Puccinelli Cravath and Ruth Cravath
from 1977 and 1974 People of the New Deal arts projects 1901 births 1974 deaths Artists from San Antonio People from Half Moon Bay, California San Francisco Art Institute alumni Painters from Texas Painters from California American muralists 20th-century American painters 20th-century American women painters American women muralists {{US-painter-1900s-stub