December 7, 2023
Kathrine Schlageck presents at Norman Rockwell Museum's online symposium
Kathrine Schlageck, Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art associate curator of education, presented at the Norman Rockwell Museum's Oct. 21 online symposium, "Illustration, Puppetry, and American Popular Culture: The Art and Legacy of Tony Sarg."
Schlageck's illustrated presentation, "The Turning Page: Sarg's Illustrations for The Martial Adventures of Henry and Me," focused on Sarg's illustrations for the World War I era book published in 1918 by Kansas writer Willliam Allen White. White, editor of the Emporia Gazette, and Henry J. Allen, owner of the Wichita Beacon and later governor of Kansas, traveled to Europe in August 1917 as inspectors of Red Cross activities. The book relates their experiences on the Western Front. Sarg's whimsical drawing style, gift for visual storytelling and ability to capture the comic moments of the story made him the perfect choice for illustrator.
The original drawings for the book, part of the Beach Museum of Art's permanent collection, are currently on loan to the Norman Rockwell Museum for the exhibition "Tony Sarg: Genius at Play," which will travel to the Nantucket Historical Association in the summer of 2024.