Religious Drawings by John Watson Davis

Our Lady of the Snows (1941), a pencil and gouache drawing on newsprint, was one of the "fantasy-geography" drawings by John Watson Davis on view in the Fairchild Gallery. Davis painted a version of the scene now on view at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville, Illinois.

Twenty-six pencil drawings by John Watson Davis (1870-1959) were shown in the Fairchild Gallery from October to January. A commercial artist for six decades in New York, Davis was known for his book illustrations, including editions of Sherlock Holmes and Zane Grey novels. The accomplished drawings in this exhibit were preparatory studies for publications by the Society for the Propagation of the Faith and other Catholic missionary organizations, from the early 1940s to mid 1950s; they depict historical and contemporary missionary activities, scenes from the Bible, and fantasy and artificial settings. The Georgetown University Art Collection is grateful to the artist's daughter, Adele Davis Durant of Tustin, California; and her son and daughter-in-law, Paul and Jackie Dienemann of Davidson, North Carolina, for donating more than one hundred Davis drawings in early 2002, from which this exhibit was taken. (Mrs. Dienemann is on the adjunct faculty of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences.) Viewers can see the exhibit and read more about the artist online.