#jack markow

Staff Pick of the Week:

Up and Coming! The Max Arthur Cohn Collection

When I tell people I work as a graduate intern in the Special Collections department of the UWM Libraries, they often (and mistakenly) assume I sit at a desk and study, just waiting for someone who needs help finding a book. This could not be further from the truth. Sheepishly they then ask, “So, what DO you do?” The truth is, most people are unaware of what librarians and archivists do. Through no fault of their own, patrons never really get to see all that it takes to make information freely, efficiently, and readily available. As an intern, my job is to learn all the aspects of the professional job! One of my newer assignments is to learn to process collections and create finding aids to accompany them. I have the good fortune of having at my descriptive disposal several really fascinating collections encompassing paper making and social justice, fine arts of the 20th century, film posters from the 1950s, and local comic book history.

Today, I present a teaser of one of these forthcoming collections—the Max Arthur Cohn Collection (UWM Mss 360). The collection was generously donated by the artist’s daughter, Jane Cohn Waldbaum, and Steven L. Morse. Included are selections of Cohn’s art from 1923 - 1950. There are a number of etchings, lithographs, and serigraphs (for which he is most well-known). Cohn worked for the WPA and achieved fame internationally for his skillfully executed and vibrant silk screens.

Pictured first is an undated portrait of Max Arthur Cohn (1903–1998) done by renowned cartoonist Jack Markow (1905--1983). Likely, the two men who were contemporaries were well-acquainted: both were born in London, immigrated as young children to New York, studied at the Art Students League, and remained active in New York during their careers. 

Also shown are an example each of Cohn’s most favored mediums:

A 1923 etching titled “Subway”

A serigraph done in 1935 titled “Wheat Harvest”

A 1937 lithograph titled “Brooklyn Bridge”

Several of the items in this collection are non-editioned (you won’t find copies in museums or galleries) and most of the items in this collections are too large for our scanner, so come visit us and view them in person! If you are interested in silk-screening techniques, Cohn co-authored Silk Screen Stenciling as a Fine Art with Jacob (Jack) Israel Biegeleisen.

Stay tuned, we will periodically highlight items from the collection as we prepare to catalog these items and make the finding aid live. So, what exactly do I do with my work hours? Well, I make sure that artifacts like these are carefully preserved and ensure they are discoverable and available to researchers!

Find out a little more about Max Cohn and his daughter Jane Waldbaum in a previous post we did on another item from Cohn’s collection.

(via The Magic Whistle: BALLYHOO March 1936,3 of 3)

(via Mike Lynch Cartoons: All the Cartoons From June 1962 McCALL'S)