Culver Military Academy 1920 - 1944  

1937- Dec 6 - Four Portraits by Wyman Adams To Go Into Culver Academy Group

By LUCILLE E. MOREHOUSE.

Wayman Adams has painted three important portraits since coming from New York a few weeks ago.

Two of these wore done In St. Louis, Mo., nnd the third, just completed before Mr. Adams and his wife left for home the middle of the week, is a striking likeness of Rrlg. Gen. L. R. Gignilliat, superintendent of Culver Military Academy.

The work in St. Louis consisted of lifesize portraits of B. B. Culver and the late Edward [sic Edwin] Culver.

A fourth portrait in the group of canvases to he hung permanently at Culver Military Academy is that of Admiral Hugh Rodman of Washington

This was painted just before Mr. Adams came to Indianapoliss ana was put on display in Corcoran gallery as soon as it had been completed.

Mainstay of Cuivcr.

B. B. Culver, the son of Henry Harrison Culver, who founded the Culver Military Academy in 1894 on his estate bordering on Lake Maxinkuckee, is considered as the mainstay of the school.

His father established the Wrought Iron Range Company In St. Louis, going west from Ohio, where he was born in 1810, and later came from St. Louis in 1883 to Indiana and established his home at Lake Maxinkuckee. The school which he founded later came into note as the home of the famous Black-Horse Troop.

B. B. and Edward [sic Edwin] Culver continued to conduct the business in St. Louis and both have shown a great interest in the school that bears the family name.

Gen. Gignilliat has been superintendent of the military academy since 1911. He first became connected with the school when It was three years old, in the year after his graduation from Virginia Military Academy.

Admiral Hugh Rodman is military sponsor of the Culver school.

A number of years ago Gen. Gignllliat became interested In plans that would provide some knowledge of art and art appreciation for the students, realizing that art was given no place In courses of study in military schools.

Shortly after the World War, Hugh Poe, then one oi the talented students In the John Herron Art School, was commissioned to do pastel portraits from photographs of all the Culver men who had lost their lives in the war, and this "gold star" series was hung in n [the] memorial room at Culver.

Warner Williams, now of Chicago, after receiving his training in sculpture under Myra K. Richards in the Herron school, was connected with the Culver summer school.

Foundation Established.

About two years ago the Culver Foundation was established.

And this fund, increased by gifts, will provide for the acquisition of paintings that will form a representative collection of Indiana art.

When the first annual Hoosier Salon was held at Marshall Field's in Chicago in 1925, a prize of $200 was donated by the cadet corps of Culver. The prize was awarded to the best group of etchings. The following year the amount remained the same, but It was stipulated that the prize go to the best painting by a young man under 25 years of age. The prize was thn donated by Culver.

And the school has since remained the donor, giving $200 annually until the ninth salon, when the financial depression stopped Culver's prize donations. Last year, however, a prize of $30 was given. And the "young man under 25 years of age" who won it was Bill Peed, who had just finished his training in the Herron school.

After the long association In the Hoosier Salon movement with Mrs. C. B. King, Cuivcr school officals sought her out when she was on her vacation at Lake George, N. Y., last summer, and requested her to visit the Wayman Adams studio at Elizabethtown, N. Y., and make tentative arrangements for the celebrated Hoosier artist to do the portrait work that Is to form the nucleus of the Culver Military Academy collection of Indiana art

Mrs. King announces that at least two of these protraits will be displayed by invitation at the 14th annual Hoosier Salon, which ipens in the Marshall Field picture galleries, Chicago, on Jan 29, 1938 to continue through Feb 12 - Indianapolis Star