Barbara Latham Prints and Multiples

Barbara Latham, 'Fording the Stream', wood engraving, edition not stated, 1936. Signed and dated in the block, lower right. A fine, richly-inked impression, on cream wove paper, with full margins (2 3/4 to 4 3/4 inches); in the original American Artists Group folder–mat. Slight toning at the sheet edges; a paper imperfection in the bottom center margin, well away from the image, otherwise in good condition. Unframed. Image size: 6 x 8 1/2 inches (152 x 216 mm); sheet size 13 1/2 x 18 inches (343 x 457 mm). ABOUT THIS WORK During the 1930s, Latham increasingly turned to rural American subjects, distilling scenes of everyday life into compelling compositions. In Fording the Stream, three mounted riders quietly crossing shallow water become the focus of a work that is both dramatic and inviting. Strong contrasts of black and white, together with the sweeping curves of the stream and overhanging trees, create a dynamic modernist composition while conveying a sense of shared purpose, quiet companionship, and the enduring rhythms of rural life. ABOUT THE ARTIST Barbara Latham (1896–1989) was an American printmaker, painter, and illustrator whose work is closely associated with the Regionalist movement and the broader development of American graphic art in the first half of the twentieth century. Born in Walpole, Massachusetts, she pursued her early studies at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and later in New York, where she became part of a generation of artists committed to depicting American subjects with unembellished clarity and conviction. Latham's formation as an artist coincided with a period of renewed interest in printmaking as a primary medium of expression. Working principally in lithography and wood engraving, she developed a disciplined approach grounded in draftsmanship and strong compositional integrity. Her work reflects direct engagement with the American scene, particularly the rural environments of New England, the American South, and later the Southwest, where she worked from direct observation. By the 1930s and 1940s, Latham had established a distinctive voice within American Regionalism. Her prints depict landscapes, village life, and shared human experience with an unusual balance of modernist design and emotional accessibility. Rather than romanticizing rural subjects, Latham approached them with empathy and quiet humanism, finding dignity and beauty in ordinary moments. This combination of formal restraint and genuine warmth remains one of the defining qualities of her work. Technically, Latham's lithographs are notable for their subtle tonal gradations and ability to evoke atmosphere without sacrificing clarity. Her wood engravings demonstrate a decisive economy of line, simplified forms, and masterful control of black and white to create compositions of remarkable graphic strength. Across both media, her work reflects exceptional technical expertise anchored by a deep commitment to balanced design and visual integrity. In addition to her work as a fine artist, Latham enjoyed a distinguished career as an illustrator. She designed greeting cards for the Norcross Publishing Company and contributed illustrations to such publications as Forum magazine and The New York Times Sunday Magazine. She also earned widespread recognition as a children's book illustrator. Her book 'Maggie' was selected by the American Institute of Graphic Arts as one of the outstanding illustrated books produced between 1945 and 1950, reflecting the same clarity of design and sympathetic observation that characterize her prints. Following her move to Taos, New Mexico, Latham became associated with the community of artists known as the Taos Moderns. There she expanded her work in painting, producing luminous landscapes and scenes of Southwestern life that complemented her achievements in printmaking. Her New Mexico paintings...

Barbara Latham created this wood engraving of the kitchen in the Taxco, Mexico home she shared with her husband, artist Howard Cook. The house that Barbara and Howard Cook rented from John Evans, the son of Mabel Dodge Luhan, is shown with the Mexican cook who worked for them. It also shows the lemon tree outside their window. Painter, print maker, and children's book illustrator Barbara Latham was born in Walpole, Massachusetts, in 1896. She was raised in Norwich, Connecticut, and studied at the Norwich Free Academy and then attended Pratt Institute from 1915 to her graduation in 1919. She then studied with Andrew Dasburg at the Art Students League's summer school in Woodstock, New York. She spent the early part of her career in New York, where she worked for the Norcross Publishing Company and did illustrations for Forum magazine and the New York Times Sunday magazine. In 1925, Latham went to Taos, New Mexico, for the first time to seek material for illustrations for a greeting card company. She met artist Howard Cook, who was in the process of developing illustrations for Willa Cather's Death Comes to the Archbishop. The couple married in 1927. From 1928 to 1935, they traveled widely including to Mexico; Springfield, Massachusetts; Paris; and Connecticut. In 1933, the couple made their home near Taos. In 1976, they settled in Santa Fe. Latham created prints and paintings of New Mexico subjects: the Taos landscape, views of the town and genre scenes depicting the seasons of rural life including that of the Taos Indians. She also illustrated children's books and did pencil drawings. Latham's illustrations for children's books included those for Pedro, Nina and Perrito, 1939, and Maggie, which was chosen as one of the best books from the period of 1945 to 1950 by the American Institute of Graphic Arts. One of her paintings, Approaching Storm, c. 1930, is an expressive painting emphasizing the orange of the earth and green of trees against the dark, stormy sky. In style, the painting is a blend of the characteristics of the New Mexico landscape, the colorful approach to landscape developed by the original Taos painters...

Barbara Latham (1896-1988), Bear Family, 1937, wood engraving, unsigned [signed and dated in the block]. Published by American Artists Group. In excellent condition, on an ivory wove paper, the full sheet with full margins, 10 x 8, the sheet 13 x 18 inches. Window matting, with archival board, unattached mylar hinging. A fine impression of this charming image. The American Artists Group was formed in 1934, during the Great Depression, with the express purpose of providing unsigned inexpensive prints which were to be widely distributed. AAG published prints by Ganso, Spruance, Meissner, Ruzicka and Lankes, among many other noted artists. Although the prices of these prints was minimal, sales were sluggish in that economy and editions werenot sold out; most printingswere under 200...