John Warner Norton (7 March 1876 – 7 January 1934) was an American painter and

mural A mural is any piece of Graphic arts, graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' ...

ist who pioneered the field in the United States. Norton was born in

Lockport, Illinois Lockport is a city in Will County, Illinois, United States, located 30 miles southwest of Chicago. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 26,094. The city was incorporated in 1853. It is situated along the Illinois a ...

, the son of John Lyman Norton and Ada Clara Gooding Norton. The family ran the Norton & Co. of Lockport. Norton's study of law at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

was broken off when the family's firm went bankrupt. Before, and after a period of living as a cowboy and enlisting with the

Rough Riders The Rough Riders was a nickname given to the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, one of three such regiments raised in 1898 for the Spanish–American War and the only one to see combat. The United States Army was small, understaffed, and diso ...

, he studied art at the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...

(1897, 1899–1901); he would later teach there. His students included Frances Badger. He was influenced by the

Armory Show The 1913 Armory Show, also known as the International Exhibition of Modern Art, was organized by thAssociation of American Painters and Sculptors It was the first large exhibition of modern art in America, as well as one of the many exhibition ...

and the Japanese printmaker Katsushika Hokusai. Among his works are the landmark 1929 long ceiling mural for the concourse of the old Chicago Daily News Building (mural not currently installed in this building, which has been renamed Riverside Plaza; designed by architects

Holabird & Root The architectural firm now known as Holabird & Root was founded in Chicago in 1880. Over the years, the firm has changed its name several times and adapted to the architectural style then current — from Chicago School to Art Deco to Moder ...

, 1929); the ''Ceres'' mural in the

Chicago Board of Trade Building The Chicago Board of Trade Building is a 44-story, Art Deco skyscraper located in the Chicago Loop, standing at the foot of the LaSalle Street canyon. Built in 1930 for the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), it has served as the primary trading v ...

(Holabird & Root, 1930); two large murals, "Old South" and "New South" commissioned by Holabird & Root for the Jefferson County Courthouse in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...

; his Tavern Club murals at the 333 North Michigan Ave. building, Chicago (Holabird & Root, 1928); his ''American Heritage Series'' at the Hamilton Park Field House, 513 W. 72nd St., Chicago; four murals at the

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city a ...

city hall; twelve murals comprising ''The History of Mankind'' (1923) at the Logan Museum of Anthropology at

Beloit College Beloit College is a private liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1846 when Wisconsin was still a territory, it is the state's oldest continuously operated college. It has an enrollment of roughly 1,000 undergradua ...

, in

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

; and his first major mural in Chicago's Cliff Dwellers Club (1909), where he was a founding member. At the time of his death on January 7, 1934, in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

of cancer, he was a popular and respected artist. He was survived by his wife and his three children, a son and two daughters. File:Ceres mural, John W. Norton, 1930 Chicago Board of Trade Building.jpeg, ''Ceres'' (1930) File:Keep these off the U.S.A. - Buy more Liberty Bonds - John Norton. LCCN2002722447.jpg, "Keep these off the U.S.A", World War I

Liberty Bonds A liberty bond or liberty loan was a war bond that was sold in the United States to support the Allied cause in World War I. Subscribing to the bonds became a symbol of patriotic duty in the United States and introduced the idea of financia ...

poster File:John W. Norton, The Inland Printer December 1902 cover.jpg, December 1902 cover of ''

The Inland Printer ''The Inland Printer'' was an American trade magazine about printing and graphic design. It was founded in 1883 and, after several name changes, stopped publishing in 2011. ''The Inland Printer'' was first published in Chicago, Illinois, in 1883 ...

'' magazine

Honors

* William M. R. French memorial Gold Medal (1924) * Norman Waite Harris Bronze Medal (1926) * honorary Master of Fine Arts from the

* Gold Medal of Honor for Mural Painting from the

Architectural League of New York The Architectural League of New York is a non-profit organization "for creative and intellectual work in architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construct ...

(1931), for his paintings in the Tavern Club in Chicago.

References

* * Gray, Mary Lackritz (2001) ''A Guide to Chicago's Murals''. University Of Chicago Press. * Tallmadge, Thomas and Tom Lea (1935) ''John W. Norton, American Painter''. Lakeside Press: Chicago (privately printed). * ''John Warner Norton'' (catalogue raisonné). Illinois State Museum.

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Norton, John W. 1876 births 1934 deaths People from Lockport, Illinois 19th-century American painters 19th-century American male artists American male painters 20th-century American painters Harvard Law School alumni School of the Art Institute of Chicago alumni American muralists Painters from Illinois Deaths from cancer in South Carolina 20th-century American male artists