Paul Baker Remmey was born November 10, 1903 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father, Robert H. Remmey, was born in 1867 in Philadelphia of German ancestry. His mother, Elizabeth J. Remmey, was born in 1874 in Philadelphia of German ancestry. His parents married in 1893 and had seven children, Florence (b.1894), Robert, Jr. (b.1896), Richard (b.1898), John (b.1901), Paul (b.1903), George (b.1907), and Francis (b.1914). The family lived at 4048 Parkside Avenue in Philadelphia. The father was the owner and operator of a local brick factory.
In 1919 Paul Remmey began to attend Frankford High School in Philadelphia, where he joined the football squad, and eventually became the team quarterback. In 1920 he was elected captain of the school's football team. In 1921 his right arm was broken at the elbow. While recuperating he became interested in art.
In June of 1922 he graduated from Frankford High School and was awarded a scholarship to attend the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art.
In September of 1922 he began to attend the art school, where he studied with Thorton Oakley (1881-1953), who had been a student of Howard Pyle (1853-1911) in Wilmington, Delaware, where his classmates included N. C. Wyeth (1882-1945) and Harvey Dunn. Thorton Oakley was an excellent art teacher, and two of his later pupils were future pulp artists Hugh J. Ward and Zoe Mozert. While studying at the art school Paul Baker Remmey met and fell in love with another art student, Edith Garsed Holden, who was born in 1905 in Pennsylvania.
The December 20, 1924 issue of the pulp magazine Adventure featured a cover painting by Paul Remmey.
In 1927 he illustrated "Overcoming Handicaps" by Archer Wallace for Doubleday Doran.
In 1928 Paul Baker Remmey married Edith Garsed Holden. The married couple moved to 1029 Allengrove Road in Philadelphia, where they raised two children, Paul Remmey, Jr. (b.1931), and Nina Remmey (b.1933). The artist also rented a professional artist studio in downtown Philadelphia at 704 South Washington Square.
During the 1930s Paul Remmey illustrated stories that were published in the Sunday supplement magazines of syndicated newspapers, which appeared nationwide.
In 1942 during WWII the artist reported for draft registration, at which time he was recorded to have been age thirty-eight, six feet tall, 180 pounds, with blue eyes and brown hair, and a ruddy complexion. As a married older man and a father of two, he was not selected for military service.
The artist had a significant career as a watercolorist of landscapes, seascapes, and religious subjects. These works were exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, The Art Institute of Chicago, the Philadelphia Sketch Club, Woodmere Art Galleries, and the American Watercolor Society.
In the 1950s Paul Remmey contributed full-color illustrations to "The Bible Story" series of books from the Christian Review & Herald Publishing Association of Washington, D.C. Other artists who worked for the same series included Harry Anderson (1906-1996), Russell Harlan (1903-1974), and Jes Schlaikjer.
In 1952 he illustrated "The Day of Jesus" for Muhlenberg Press of Philadelphia.
The September 1954 issue of The Ford Times Magazine published an article on the C & O Canal that was illustrated by Paul Remmey.
In 1956 he illustrated "Our Protestant Heritage," for Muhlenberg Press of Philadelphia.
Paul Baker Remmey died in Philadelphia at age fifty-three on April 29, 1957. After his death the American Watercolor Society named their annual prize in his honor, the Paul Baker Remmey Award.
© David Saunders 2018 |
