In Search of Herbert E. Fouts: Artist, Illustrator, Designer

      Nearly twenty years ago, I purchased a painting called Pool in Irvington (1921) from an online auction site. I knew little about the artist, Herbert E. Fouts, other than he studied at the John Herron Art Institute in Indianapolis. The small impressionistic painting has now traveled with me through three houses and currently hangs in the living room of my modest bungalow. The young artist who created the painting was likely in Irvington for no more than a few hours yet our worlds have intersected a century after his quick study of a beautiful scene. I mistakenly thought that there would be plenty of information on this talented painter, but I was wrong. My search for him metaphorically took me from Indiana to New York, Paris, Vienna, and back home. Who was Herbert E. Fouts? 

Pool in Irvington by Herbert E. Fouts, 1921

On the back of the painting, Fouts recorded exactly when he painted the scene.

Pool in Irvington hung in the 15th Annual Exhibition of Indiana Artists in the spring of 1922.

From New Washington, Indiana to the John Herron Institute (1902-1922)

Herbert E. Fouts rode in the backseat of this car in 1915. The older man in the photo is possibly his father, Isaac Fouts while the young man at the wheel is likely his brother, Arthur Fouts. (photo courtesy of Janae Tsu)

     Herbert E. Fouts started life on a farm in Clark County, Indiana near the village of New Washington in 1902. He was the second son of Isaac and Viola Fouts. Early on, his teachers noted that he possessed artistic talent. Later accounts reported that he used to fill the blackboards at the schoolhouse with "frescoes." Upon graduating from high school, he received the Clark County Scholarship to study at the John Herron Art Institute in Indianapolis beginning in the summer of 1921 and in subsequent terms in 1922. At some point during that first summer, he made his way to Irvington to set up an easel most likely near Pleasant Run. Local artist, William Forsyth, who taught painting and drawing at the Institute, might have been with him on that day. 

     Later that year, he submitted his work, Pool in Irvington, to the Art Association of Indiana for its 15th annual exhibition. Incredibly, he was chosen and appears to have been one of the few students accepted. The committee welcomed 134 painters, four sculptors, and numerous handicraft artists. Over 1300 visitors during the spring of 1922 strolled through the Herron Institute and admired work by talented artists like J. Ottis Adams, Simon Baus, William Forsyth, Marie Goth, Carl Graf, Paul Hadley, John W. Hardrick, Frederick Polley, Myra Reynolds Richards, Otto Stark, T.C. Steele, Clifton Wheeler, Hilah Drake Wheeler and many others. 

     Hanging on the wall that spring with so many of those great artists was Pool in Irvington. Bessie Hendricks, who also exhibited that year, wrote a column for the Indianapolis News. She mentioned numerous people in her review of the exhibition, but singled out young Herbert Fouts. ...Pool in Irvington, an attractive little oil painting in which the pool takes the leading role. There is not even a glimpse of the sky. Visitors were encouraged to buy paintings that day so it is possible that someone locally might have purchased the work; however, the provenance from 1922 until 2006 remains a mystery. 

Catalog of the Fifteenth Annual by Indiana Artists, April 22, 1922 (Image courtesy of Newfields Digital Archives) 

Herbert E. Fouts (middle row, second from right) was a design major while studying at Herron. One of his teachers was Paul Hadley (standing), who designed the state flag of Indiana. (Photo courtesy of the Herron Art Library Slide Collection, IU Indianapolis Library & Archives)

From Louisville to New York City: Herbert E. Fouts as an Illustrator (1923-1937)

     After studying at Herron, Fouts returned to southern Indiana. In nearby Louisville, he studied under Alexander Van Leshout, a local illustrator and muralist. The Louisville Courier-Journal  published some of Fouts' illustrations. By 1925, he settled in New York City and studied at the Parsons School of Design on scholarship. He earned a living by illustrating for magazines and publishers. He soon fell in with a group of Greenwich Village poets, who hired him to illustrate their books. By this point in his career, he seems to have moved away from Impressionism and into Art Deco. His illustrations for a book of poetry by Ralph Cheyney titled Touch and Go (1926) reflected his new interest in that genre. He quickly garnered other jobs with other poets including Sara Owens and Carolyn Davies. The Greenwich Village Quill, a magazine for that neighborhood, hired him to illustrate a cover in 1927. 

     In the summer of 1927, the young man sailed for Europe to study in both Paris and Vienna. Upon his return to New York City, he resumed his job as an illustrator. The Louisville Courier-Journal noted that his drawings were "ultra modern" and compared his art to the English illustrator, Aubrey Beardsley. 

   Fouts continued to get jobs as an illustrator in the 1930s including one by Jacob Krup who attempted to translate some of the work by the great Russian poet, Alexander Pushkin in 1936. One reviewer for the Fort Worth Telegram brutally panned the book, but praised Fouts. He noted that the illustrations were, "most attractive and more poetic than the printed matter of the book." 

Ralph Cheyney, Touch and Go, 1926

Ralph Cheyney, Touch and Go, 1926

Daggers in a Star, 1930

Jacob Krup, Six Poems from the Russian, (1936)

Herbert E. Fouts, Interior Designer, 1937-1970

     Like many Americans, Herbert Fouts likely struggled during the Great Depression, but those days would soon be in his rear-view mirror as his career soared to new heights. When he attended John Herron, Fouts was in the first cohort of design majors. One has to wonder if the idea of becoming an interior designer first germinated at Herron or did he arrive with that idea in mind? Throughout the 1930s, he decorated the homes of friends. Soon, his reputation as a designer spread and he opened a shop on 62nd Street in New York City in 1937 called Decorative Interiors. For the next thirty years he decorated homes for the wealthy. Band leader, Guy Lombardo, hired him to paint a Chinese screen for his home. Air-conditioning magnate, Willis Carrier, employed him to decorate a drawing room for his mansion in Syracuse, New York. Samuel Blackford, who owned a chain of cafeterias, contracted him to decorate his house. Fouts usually worked with their wives. 

     He was considered a very unique designer because he personally created the wall paper and any textiles for the project. He even occasionally designed the furniture. He painted the murals or added one of his own paintings. By the 1940s, he had become enamored with a new movement originating in New York City called abstract impressionism. He also worked with hotels. He painted a mural in the Park Lane Hotel near Central Park in New York City and decorated a rustic inn located in Westport, Connecticut. 

Donna Frazier was a first cousin, once removed to Herbert Fouts. She received a letter from him in 1956. (courtesy of Janae Tsu)

     Despite his success, he never forgot about his Indiana roots. After the tragic and untimely death of his brother, the responsibility for tending to his aging parents fell to him. He frequently flew home especially after his father died in 1949. He eventually moved his elderly mother into his New York City apartment. He visited both Louisville and Indianapolis and each time he spoke to reporters about design. In 1955, he gifted "October Moon" to his old high school at New Washington. The abstract impressionist work hung in the school for many years but its whereabouts remains unknown at this time. 

"October Moon" can be seen behind the young woman from this 1960s yearbook photo from New Washington High School (photo courtesy of the Greater Clark School Corporation)

"October Moon" is visible behind Gary Weston and Joan Moberly in this 1960s yearbook photo from New Washington High School (photo courtesy of the Greater Clark School Corporation)

     The best description that I found of Herbert Fouts came from Miss Mary Sample, a beloved Clark County, Indiana teacher. At the age of 80 in 1957, she traveled to New York City to visit with the successful native son. In classic Miss Sample form, she penned a letter to the editor to the Charlestown Courier to document what she had uncovered. She noted that his apartment was "beautifully decorated," and that he lovingly referred to his wheel-chair bound mother, Viola Fouts, as "Aunt Vi." Miss Sample toured his shop and revealed that Eleanor Roosevelt lived two doors down. She commented on the beauty of his textiles. They visited museums. They watched the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, and saw "Show Boat" on stage. Fouts put Miss Sample up at the Ellerton, a hotel for single women. She could hardly contain herself on all of the great food that they ate. 

     Herbert Fouts died in 1970.  Much of his design work has likely been replaced, but he would have understood that fact. Sometimes, it doesn't take long to be forgotten. There are still so many unknowns about the talented artist and creator. But, here is what we do know...In the summer of 1921, a young man arrived in Irvington and painted a scene.

Herbert E. Fouts, a successful painter, illustrator, muralist, and designer, posed on a New York City rooftop with his dog, Coco. (photo courtesy of Janae Tsu) 

     I wish to thank Art and Design Historian, Kyle Kingen for his assistance with this post. Kyle uncovered many obscure details including the photo of Herbert Fouts at Herron. He even examined Herron Art School records to confirm that Fouts was a design major. I also wish to thank Janae Tsu and her family for the use of the photos. Surprisingly, the only images I could find of Mr. Fouts were grainy newspaper shots. I am grateful for her kindness. Jonathan May and Nate Koets of the Greater Clark School Corporation took time out of their busy schedules to search for "October Moon." While the painting may be gone, I appreciated their help. 

Sources:  Early Years (1902-1922):  1910 and 1920 Federal Census Records, Herron Art School Enrollment Records, 1921-1922; Bessie Hendricks, "Comment on Indiana Art at Herron Institute and the Taos Society of Artists' Exhibition," Indianapolis News, March 11, 1922, p. 9

New York and Europe (1922-1937): "Youth Attracts Attention Here as Rare Artist," Louisville Herald, April 20, 1924, p. 65; "Herbert Fouts to Study in Europe," Louisville Courier-Journal, July 3, 1927, p. 6; "Local Artist Sails for Paris," Jeffersonville Evening News (IN), July 5, 1927, p. 2;  Catherine E. Berry, "Around New York," Louisville Courier-Journal, September 25, 1927, p. 9;  "About Books," Los Angeles Evening Post, July 31, 1929, p. 12;  "Drawings by Herbert Fouts," Louisville Courier-Journal, July 28, 1929, p. 36;  "Concerning Herbert E. Fouts," Louisville Courier-Journal, November 10, 1929, p. 37; Evidence of Inept Translation," Fort Worth Telegram, May 2, 1937, p. 44; 

Interior Design Years (1937-1970): Rhea Talley, "First He Did Over His Own Flat," Louisville Courier-Journal, September 7, 1947, p. 25;  "Fouts' Painting Featured at Art Exhibit," Jeffersonville Evening News (IN), June 25, 1955, p. 10; Mary Sample, Letter to the Editor, Charlestown Courier (IN), September 19, 1957, p. 4; "Art Adds to the Living," Indianapolis News, October 2, 1967, p. 14;