William Fulton Soare:

Historical Illustration

William Soare had an abiding interest in historical research, and his many historical subjects were the product of meticulous scholarship.  

 Among these was D'Artagnan of  the Three Musketeers,  a cover for  Boys' Life in 1936. All details of  weaponry, costume, and architecture  in such paintings had to be documented. 

 The Rattle Watch was commissioned  by the city of New York in 1926  for the tricentennial of its founding,  depicting the first policeman in  the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam. 

In his letters to his parents while in France with the American  Expeditionary Forces in 1918,  and his subsequent studies at the Sorbonne after the Armistice, William Soare reveals a keen eye for historical traditions reflected in details of local color which was to serve him well in his numerous historical paintings. 

 

"Last Sunday morning I attended mass at the large church in Beignon.  It was interesting. The audience or rather congregation was composed largely of women.  Practically every  seat was taken.  The priest might have been taken for a politician or bartender if he had worn civilian clothes instead of a gorgeous robe of green and white.  And he certainly had a long "line," that is his sermon, and at the end of each sentence of his ritual he would yodel  just like the beetle-eyed Swiss shepherd boy that he was!

The women, whether 18 or 80 years of age, all wore heavy black shawls, and all important - little lace caps.  Most of them wore wooden shoes, all blacked up for the occasion.  I was impressed with the character and strength of their expression, and the sturdy vigor of the old women, many  of whom must have passed the hundred mark.  The main interest of the interior of the church were the ancient arches, the many statues and crucifixes, which were colored up to represent reality, and which stood three or fourfeet high.  There was a one-lung organ, which provided the one note music of the chants, played by one finger of the choir leader. The floor was composed of huge squares of stone, which display a nicety of masonry, and the seats for the most part were low, very straight backed chairs, probably more than a century old.  The steeples were ornate, and as we stood on the steps before the service, the beautiful tolling of the ancient bell was accompanied by discordant clattering of the bell of a passing cow, which was being slowly urged along the cobble stone street by an exceedingly small boy with  a long terrible whip."                                         France - November 13, 1918  

Although William Soare's induction into the army  in World War I left him with a heart murmur--  his patriotism, remaining undaunted, embraced a fascination with the father of our country.   

 1932 was the bicentennial celebration of George Washington's birthday, and despite the hardship of the Depression, patriotic fervor was contagious, with commemorative replicas erected in  New York City.  For the occasion, William Soare received in 1931 his first major commission from the Kemper Thomas Company of Cincinnati--six large canvases depicting highlights in Washington's presidency.  The paintings  which follow were exhibited throughout the country  by the Daughters of the American Revolution.  

" I  am rather eager to see Mount Vernon, now erected in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, altho I'm sure nothing  could approach  the actual beauty of the shrine in Virginia." 
                   May 8, 1932 		 

     "This replica of the old Federal Hall is remarkable, and as it figured in my picture of Washington's inauguration, it has real interest for me. 
     On the near side of Bryant Park are placed thirteen tall flag poles, from which float the banners of the original states."
                                                May 8, 1932

"There will be various celebrations in and around New York until November and although this sort of thing is either too theatrical, or becomes a speck of comedy and a flash of costume-- lost in a milling crowd, I'm glad to see some evidence of pride in history and tradition, and not all dollar chasing."
                       May 8, 1932

  

"The painting of  Washington and events of his time is absorbing me at present, and I feel humbled that I should endeavor to portray so great a man." 
                   Feb 13, 1931 

" I was in old Frances' Tavern today, where  he said farewell to his officers, and my emotions almost got the better of me.  I would never make a good actor!"          Feb 13, 1931 

 Ironically it was the artist's  son who became the actor. Perhaps  I was attracted to the theatre in part from having been surrounded by such romantic imagery, rendered  with such strong dramatic composition in my childhood. 

"The more one studies his life, and becomes acquainted with the real man as revealed in his hundreds of letters, the more is one profoundly moved and exalted.  And in the midst of his greatest accomplishments he was modest and 
humble to a remarkable degree." 
                                                            Feb 13, 1931 

I was especially fascinated by the strength of the Washington portrait. Here, I thought, was a man who could actually lead a Revolution, rather than merely decorate a dollar bill! 
 

In 1935 came perhaps the biggest break of my father's career, which enabled him financially to marry my mother. It was a commission from Bausch & Lomb, for the "Optical Progress Series"-- six major canvases depicting highlights in the history of optics. In 1987, I was fortunate to recover the original canvases from the company headquarters in Rochester, New York.  They are reproduced here, with their original captions, by permission of  Bausch & Lomb.
 

According to legend, spectacles were worn in the time of Confucius--500 BC. Marco Polo reported them in general use in China about 1275 AD.  In Europe, from the 14th to 17th centuries, street vendors sold crude spectacles, both for adornment and as an aid to vision.  In 1609 Galileo was acclaimed by distinguished citizens of Venice when he demonstrated his first telescope from the tower of St. Marks. 
A most significant event was the discovery of bacteria in 1675 by Antonini van Leeuwenhoek who used a primitive microscope of his own manufacture.  Through his extensive experiments with light, Sir Isaac Newton became one of the founders of modern optical science.  Measuring his own eyes, Thomas Young conducted experiments in the years 1799 to 1801 that led to his explanation of astigmatism and accommodation. 

This "Optical Progress Series" was reproduced in advertising mats, posters, and textbooks for the next quarter century. Sir Isaac Newton was published in National Geographic in April, 1949.