Shinn, Everett

Shinn, Everett (1876–1953). American painter, illustrator, and designer, born in Woodstown, New Jersey. He studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1893–6, while at the same time working as a reporter-illustrator on the Philadelphia Press. His colleagues on the newspaper included Glackens, Luks, and Sloan, who like Shinn became members of The Eight and the Ashcan School in New York (he moved there in 1896). Shinn differed from his associates in his choice of subject, preferring scenes from the theatre and music-hall to low-life imagery. However, in 1911 he did murals on local industrial subjects for Trenton City Hall, New Jersey, and these have been described as the earliest instance of Social Realist themes in public mural decoration. He also did decorations in a more lighthearted manner for the interior of the Stuyvesant (later Belasco) Theatre, New York (1907) and for private homes. In addition Shinn painted fashionable portraits and illustrated numerous books. His interest in the theatre led him to write plays, and he worked for a time as an art director for motion pictures. However, he never achieved much success in these fields and in his later career he worked mainly as a commercial artist.