1918 Haskell Coffin World War I Joan of Arc Propaganda Broadside

William Henry 'Haskell' Coffin (October 21, 1878 - May 12, 1941) was an American artist and painter. Born in Charleston, South Carolina, his family moved to Washington, D.C. while he was still an infant. He studied art at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D.C., before heading overseas to Paris to study under Paul Laurens, who was renowned as one of the greatest teachers of art at the time. After returning from Europe, Coffin lived in New York City, where he began a successful career as a commercial artist in advertising. His work graced the covers of The Redbook and Cosmopolitan and appeared on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post thirty-four times. Coffin gained a reputation as a portraitist, particularly for portraits of beautiful women. His work 'glorified the American girl', with a particular emphasis placed on the show girl. His subjects were often depicted making small, elegant gestures, accompanied by graceful expressions. Coffin was married and divorced twice, with three children from his first marriage. He was admitted to a hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, in April 1941 to treat a mental illness, said to be 'melancholia', and he was still in the hospital for treatment when he leaped to his death from his third-floor room. More by this mapmaker...