Reginald Marsh was born in Paris, France, in 1898. His family returned to the U.S. in 1900, settling in New Jersey. The Marsh family moved to New Rochelle, New York, in 1914, where Reginald attended the Riverview Military Academy until 1915. Marsh spent his senior year at the Lawrenceville School where he drew for the school's annual. Marsh then attended Yale School of Art in 1916–20 where he became the star illustrator for The Yale Record and, later, its art editor. In his newspaper work Marsh exhibited a graphic skill and a gift for pictorial humor.
On graduating from Yale in 1920, Marsh moved to New York City where he supported himself as a freelance illustrator for newspapers and magazines, such as Vanity Fair and Harper's Bazaar. In 1922, Marsh became a staff artist for The Daily News, first drawing city life and then a column of vaudeville illustrations. When The New Yorker began in 1925, Marsh became a staff member, contributing through 1931. These illustration jobs provided Marsh with a good income and a great amount of free time, which allowed him to study painting at the Art Students League on and off through the 1920s with Kenneth Hayes Miller, John Sloan and George Luks. When Marsh began to paint in earnest in 1923, he joined the Whitney Studio Club, where he had one-man exhibitions in 1924 and 1928.
In the early 1920s Marsh made his first trip to Coney Island on a project for Vanity Fair. He was instantly drawn to the raucous environment of extremes, capturing the boardwalks, beaches and sideshows in his sketchbooks. Marsh often remained in New York for the summer to spend time at Coney Island. The rest of the year Marsh painted industrial subjects. He also enjoyed recording the physical and social life of a newly commercialized city, focusing on taxi-dance halls, burlesque, Coney Island, subways and the Bowery.
In 1929 Marsh took a studio near Union Square in New York where he remained for most of his life, roaming the streets with his sketchbook. The same sketches he worked up for his newspaper and magazine illustrations found their way into his paintings.
The 1930s and 1940s were very successful for Marsh. He exhibited in most of the annual exhibitions of contemporary American art at the Whitney Museum of American Art (1924–54), the Corcoran Gallery of Art (1932–57), the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (1932–52), the Art Institute of Chicago (1928–49) and the National Academy of Design (1927–49). He also had many one-man exhibitions at the Frank K. Rehn Galleries in New York.
Marsh began teaching at the Art Students League in 1935 where he soon became one of the most popular teachers. In the spring of 1954, Marsh was chosen to receive the gold medal of the National Institute of Arts and Letters, an extremely high award in the American cultural world.
Find original Reginald Marsh prints, drawings and paintings on 1stDibs.
"Tugboat at Dock" Reginald Marsh, Modern WPA Industrial Ship, New York Docks
By Reginald Marsh
Located in New York, NY
Reginald Marsh Tugboat at Dock, circa 1937 Signed lower right Watercolor and pencil on paper 13 3/4 x 20 inches Housed in a Lowy frame. Provenance: Sotheby'...
Paper, Watercolor, Pencil
$85,000
Frozen Custard
By Reginald Marsh
Located in New York, NY
Reginald Marsh, an urban Realist of the 1930s and 40s, chronicled New York’s working-class life with exuberant, documentary-style paintings that focused on crowds rather than individ...
Tempera, Board
The Cannonball, Impressionist Locomotive Watercolor by Reginald Marsh
By Reginald Marsh
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Reginald Marsh, American (1898 - 1954) Title: The "Cannonball" Year: 1936 Medium: Watercolor on Paper, signed, titled, and dated l.r. Size: 16.5 in. x 22.5 in. (41.91 cm x 57...
Watercolor
Locomotive, American Impressionist Train Watercolor by Reginald Marsh
By Reginald Marsh
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Reginald Marsh, American (1898 - 1954) Title: Locomotive Year: 1932 Medium: Watercolor on Paper, signed and dated l.r. Size: 14 in. x 20 in. (35.56 cm x 50.8 cm) Frame Size: ...
Watercolor
Zoo New York City with Sea Lions
By Constantin Alajalov
Located in Miami, FL
A charming and stylized depiction of a day at the Central Park Zoo. with World War Two uniformed visitors front and center. Sea lions put on a show in front o...
Gouache
$385
H 14 in W 18 in D 0.13 in
WPA Era, Industrial Scene Steel Mill by Chicago Modern Artist, Harold Haydon
By Harold Haydon
Located in Chicago, IL
A dynamic 1930s, WPA era industrial scene watercolor of a steel mill and factory workers by notable Chicago Modern artist, Harold Haydon. A wonderful example of early Twentieth Cent...
Watercolor, Paper
$614
H 8.47 in W 9.65 in
India Watercolour RCA Architect Painting Palace Udaipur Lake Travel Orange Blues
Located in Norfolk, GB
There is something compelling about drawings and sketches made by architects. Loose and full of life this delicious little study, made on the spot, beautifully captures the essence of place. Made during one of Patterson's early tours to India it shows the gloriously majestic Palace Museum in Udaipur, Rajasthan, which sits on the highest point overlooking Lake Pichola and the City. The delicate wash of terracottas, pinks and reds offers us the feel of sun on the old stones. India Palace Museum (Udaipur), watercolour & pencil on paper, image 9.5cm x 14cm, framed 21.5cm x 24.5cm, Artist Stamp, signed in pencil bottom left, 1990 Doug Patterson...
Watercolor, Archival Paper, Pencil
$1,012Sale Price|25% Off
H 20 in W 24 in D 0.13 in
Vibrant Post War Bay Area Landscape - Original Watercolor Painting
By Omer Ferdi Sahingil
Located in Soquel, CA
Vibrant Post War Bay Area Landscape - Original Watercolor Painting Lively landscape of hills with trees and houses by Turkish-American artist Ömer Şahingil (Turkish/American, 1915-1...
Paper, Watercolor, Mulberry Paper
$6,000
H 19.25 in W 24.25 in
Three Fishermen in a Boat Watercolor, 20th Century American Sporting Art
By John Whorf
Located in Marco Island, FL
A masterful example of John Whorf at the height of his powers, this large and luminous watercolor depicts three fishermen on a calm, silver-blue lake or bay, their figures rendered w...
Watercolor, Archival Paper
$2,400
H 23 in W 29 in
Fishing Along the Stream, New York, 1892, American, Realist, Pastoral, Landscape
Located in Wiscasset, ME
William Crothers Fitler was born in Philadelphia and studied at the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts. He is best known for his tonalist landscapes of New York, Long Island and Conne...
Paper, Watercolor, Gouache
$385
H 14 in W 18 in D 0.13 in
Delightful 1950s Cubist Harbor Scene by Woman Artist Rita Duis (Astley-Bell)
Located in Chicago, IL
A Mid-Century Modern, 1950s Cubist watercolor of a brightly-colored dock scene by Chicago and New York artist Rita Duis (Astley-Bell). Signed "Duis", lower left. Artwork size: 8 1/...
Watercolor, Paper
$1,053
H 29.93 in W 22.45 in
Trees Composition, Ink and Watercolor on Paper Unique contemporary Drawing
By Amilcar Rivera M.
Located in Vilnius, Vilniaus apskr.
Amílcar Rivera M. is a multidisciplinary artist who graduated from the Faculty of Arts at Universidad Veracruzana in Mexico and now lives and creates in Vilnius, Lithuania. His inter...
Paper, Watercolor, Ink
$1,200Sale Price|40% Off
H 12.88 in W 22 in D 0.07 in
Vibrant Post War Bay Area Garden Landscape - Original Watercolor Painting
By Omer Ferdi Sahingil
Located in Soquel, CA
Vibrant Post War Bay Area Garden Landscape - Original Watercolor Painting Lively landscape of a path and steps through a garden by Turkish-American artist Ömer Şahingil (Turkish/Ame...
Watercolor, Paper
$385
H 30 in W 24 in D 0.13 in
A Large, Tropical 1950s Mid-Century Modern Cubist Watercolor of Irises
Located in Chicago, IL
A large, colorful 1950s Mid-Century Modern Cubist watercolor of vibrant purple irises by Chicago and New York artist Rita Duis (Astley-Bell). Watercolor on paper, signed and inscrib...
Watercolor, Paper
$1,500Sale Price|40% Off
H 12.75 in W 16.88 in D 0.1 in
Post War Bay Area Figurative - Original Watercolor Painting "Beach Day" Signed
By Omer Ferdi Sahingil
Located in Soquel, CA
Post War Bay Area Figurative - Original Watercolor Painting "Beach Day" Vibrant watercolor of three figures on the beach by Turkish-American artist Ömer Şahingil (Turkish/American,...
Watercolor, Illustration Board
$39,000
H 29 in W 37 in
Building the 6th Avenue Subway NYC WPA American Scene Industrial Men Working
Located in New York, NY
Building the 6th Avenue Subway NYC WPA American Scene Industrial Men Working Cecil Bell (1906-1970) Building the 6th Avenue Subway 22x 30 inches Egg Temera on board Signed and dated...
Egg Tempera, Board
Sold
H 23.5 in W 29.5 in
Tugboats in the Harbor. American Landscape -1930s Industrial Harbor Scene
By Reginald Marsh
Located in Marco Island, FL
A fine 1938 watercolor done of Tugboats in the Harbor by Reginald Marsh. The painting depicts the crush of boats at the shoreline during the later part of the American Great Depress...
Watercolor, Archival Paper
Sold
H 26 in W 32 in D 2 in
Brooklyn Bridge and Lower Manhattan, Cityscape Watercolor by Reginald Marsh
By Reginald Marsh
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Reginald Marsh, American (1898 - 1954) Title: Brooklyn Bridge and Lower Manhattan II Year: 1938 Medium: Watercolor on Paper, signed and dated l.r. Size: 14 in. x 20 in. (35.5...
Watercolor
Brooklyn Bridge and Lower Manhattan I
By Reginald Marsh
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Reginald Marsh, American (1898 - 1954) Title: Brooklyn Bridge and Lower Manhattan I Year: 1938 Medium: Watercolor on Paper, signed and dated l.r. Size: 14 in. x 20 in. (3...
Watercolor