Charles Warde Traver

Charles Warde Traver was an artist based in Ann Arbor, MI. He studied at the University of Michigan from 1888-1892 before attending the Detroit School of Art. He later moved to Chicago, studying at the Chicago Art Institute. While there, Traver worked in the studio of Frank Millet, helped make decorations for the World’s Columbian Exposition, and created souvenir book The Illustrated World’s Fair. He was then hired to work on the 1893 Mid-Winter Fair iin San Francisco, California. He opened an art studio in Los Angeles the following year, attracting a patron whose funding allowed him to attend the Royal Academy of Fine Art in Munich, Germany. Traver studied there for three years, drawing influence from Aubrey Beardsley and romanticism. He returned to the United States in 1898, where he created magazine covers and illustrations, often featuring romantic portraits of women. His clients included Good Housekeeping, the Pictorial Review, and the Saturday Evening Post. His “Prudential Girl Calendar” for 1917 also became quite popular. During WWII, Traver began painting portraits of politicians, judges, and popular social figures. His portrait of Governor Dickenson was unveiled on February 16, 1943.