Credit Line:
Peoria Historical Society Collection
Description:
watercolor of Man working at a cotton gin, small boy watches
Object ID:
2002.110
Object Name:
Painting
Signed Name:
R.J, Knuth 1912
Signed Location:
Lower Right Corner
Source:
Mrs. Paul Coltrin
Provenance:
Raymond Jay Knuth was born in Peoria in 1902. His Father William Knuth was a carpenter and contractor. Young Raymond showed talent for painting and drawing at a very early age. Watercolour given to the Peoria Historical Society by his niece, Mrs. Paul Coltrin, are dated between 1912 and 1916. The young artist studied with local artists and was a good friend of Peoria artist Revere Wistehuff who later did illustrations for Colliers Magazine.
Raymond Knuth went to the University of Illinois in Champaign to study architecture, but suffered a nervous Breakdown and was unable to continue in that field. However in 1927 he designed a house for his parents which they then built at 2411 N. Bigelow St. in Peoria. It became the family for forty years and was still in the Coltrin family in 2002.
After recovering from his breakdown, he went to Duluth and found employment on one of the boats, where he worked for several years and became a first class seaman. Returning to Peoria and his family home, he found work at Caterpillar and continued there until retirement. Shortly after retiring he took his own life at age 66.
After producing large numbers of drawings and watercolors as a teenager of Peoria as it looked from 1913—1916, Raymond Knuth never resumed his art studies or returned to painting.
Some of his artwork was sold by the Historical Society through the gift shop in 1981.
Raymond Knuth went to the University of Illinois in Champaign to study architecture, but suffered a nervous Breakdown and was unable to continue in that field. However in 1927 he designed a house for his parents which they then built at 2411 N. Bigelow St. in Peoria. It became the family for forty years and was still in the Coltrin family in 2002.
After recovering from his breakdown, he went to Duluth and found employment on one of the boats, where he worked for several years and became a first class seaman. Returning to Peoria and his family home, he found work at Caterpillar and continued there until retirement. Shortly after retiring he took his own life at age 66.
After producing large numbers of drawings and watercolors as a teenager of Peoria as it looked from 1913—1916, Raymond Knuth never resumed his art studies or returned to painting.
Some of his artwork was sold by the Historical Society through the gift shop in 1981.
Medium:
Watercolor Paint
Material:
paper/Water Color paint
Frame Description:
thins silver frame with scroll work pattern
Category:
8: Communication Artifact
Artist — Creator:
Raymond Jay Knuth
Artist — Creator Role:
Artist
Click to Enlarge
Knuth watercolor
Knuth watercolor