Jacob Elshin

Jacob Alexander Elshin (1892-1976) was a Russian American artist. Born in 1892 in Saint Petersburg, Russia,[1] he served as an officer in the Imperial Russian Army, and may have been a student at the St. Petersburg Academy. He arrived in Seattle in 1923 where he was described as a "straight pictorialist".[2] His art was commissioned by the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project, where he worked with Mark Tobey, Helmi Juvonen, and others.[3] He also provided services to the U.S. Treasury Department's Section of Painting and Sculpture.[4] Elshin socialized with other artists at the Chinese Art Club.[5] He died in Seattle in 1976.[1]

Jacob Elshin, Miners at Work (1937-38), painted for the Works Progress Administration, now owned by the City of Renton, Washington

References

1. Wall text in "No Longer Forgotten: Uncovering the Stories of WPA Artists in the Northwest", Tacoma Art Museum, 2020
2. Cumming 1984, p. 159.
3. Wehr 2000, p. 285.
4. "Jacob Elshin mural is discovered at West Seattle High School in May 2000". Essay 3441. HistoryLink.org. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
5. Chang, Johnson & Karlstrom 2008, p. 68. sfn error: no target: CITEREFChangJohnsonKarlstrom2008 (help)

Bibliography

• Chang, Gordon H.; Johnson, Mark Dean; Karlstrom, Paul J.; Spain, Sharon (2008). Asian American Art: A History, 1850-1970. Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-5752-2.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Cumming, William (1984). Sketchbook: A Memoir of the 1930s and the Northwest School. University of Washington Press. ISBN 978-0-295-98560-2.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Wehr, Wesley (2000). The Eighth Lively Art: Conversations with Painters, Poets, Musicians & the Wicked Witch of the West. University of Washington Press. ISBN 978-0-295-97956-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)