Tom Lovell

Tom Lovell
Born	February 5, 1909 New York
Died	June 29, 1997 New Mexico
Occupation	Artist

Tom Lovell (5 February 1909 – 29 June 1997) was an American illustrator and painter. He was a prolific creator of pulp fiction magazine covers and illustrations, and of visual art of the American West. He produced illustrations for National Geographic magazine, and many others, and painted many historical Western subjects such as interactions between Indians and white settlers and traders. He was inducted into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame in 1974.

Lovell was born in New York City on 5 February 1909 to Henry S. Lovell Jr, a telephone engineer, and Edith Scott (Russell) Lovell, and was the second of three children He was a keen reader as a child, and although received no early training in art he often visited the Museum of Natural History in New York, beginning a fascination with Native American objects and weapons. In 1927 he was the valedictorian at his high school graduation, where he spoke on "the ill treatment of the American Indian by the U. S. Government.” Lovell attended Syracuse University 1927 - 1931. Lovell married Gloyd "Pink" Simmons in 1934 and moved to Norwalk, Connecticut. They had two children, David and Deborah. In 1940 Lovell and his family moved to an artists colony at Westport, Connecticut where he became close friends with Harold Von Schmidt, John Clymer and Robert Loughweed. In 1972 he moved to Santa Fe New Mexico. In 1977 he moved to a seven-acre site in Santa Fe and built an adobe house and studio. Lovell died in a car crash in New Mexico on 29 June 1997, aged 88. His 48-year-old daughter Deborah was also killed in the accident.

Lovell enrolled at Syracuse University in 1927, graduating in 1931. Lovell's college roommate Harry Anderson, classmate Elton Fax and teacher Hibbard V.B. Kline influenced his decision to become an illustrator. In his junior year at Syracuse Lovell was selling drawings to popular “pulp” Western, gangster and detective magazines.

In the early 1930s Lovell shared a studio space in New York with Harry Anderson and Al (Nick) Carter. He eventually moved to the artist colony of New Rochelle just outside New York City. New Rochelle was home to a number of other illustrators, including Norman Rockwell and Mead Schaeffer. After 1936, Lovell progressed into providing illustrations for advertising agencies and slick magazines such as Redbook, Life, Collier’s, The American, Woman's Home Companion, and Cosmopolitan. From 1940 onwards Lovell produced covers for several magazines including Ace-High Western, Clues, Complete, Detective Tales, Dime Detective, Rangeland Romances, Star Western, and Top-Notch. He also drew pen and ink interio illustrations for The Shadow, Courtroom Stories, Popular Western, Triple Western, and Clues.

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