Lee Woodward Zeigler, also known as Albert Lee Zeigler, (May 7, 1868—June 16, 1952) was an American artist who began his career as an illustrator and later worked as a muralist.
On October 16, 1909,[10] he married Mary Stuart (née Roe) Zeigler (1880–1963),[11] the youngest daughter of author William James Roe. Their wedding was held at St. Thomas Episcopal Church[10] and the reception held at his grandmother-in-law's estate. In 1914, he returned to the church to paint a mural titled Christ's Ascension[12] near the altar,[13] depicting martyrs, saints and angels below a golden cross.
Work
Zeigler painted the mural Maryland (1925) at his alma mater Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), in the court of the Main Building.[4]
During his time as a WPA muralist, Zeigler was commissioned to produce small murals at Newburgh Free Academy in 1936, which had opened for students in 1928.[citation needed] Though he was in disagreement[17] with the Board of Education and Ralph Adams Cram over what the subject material should be, he ultimately decided that they should depict the drama and music,[18][failed verification] emulated by Renaissance figures. The two vertical murals flank the current stage; the auditorium renovation in 2010 preserved them.[citation needed]
The Faerie Queene murals
In 1929, when trustees of the Enoch Pratt Free Library began planning for a library building, Zeigler approached them with suggestions. For the second floor reading room, he proposed a set of murals depicting scenes from Edmund Spenser'sThe Faerie Queene.[19] The murals were the realization of a lifelong dream.[1] As a boy, his father had gifted him a copy of the poem for a birthday, and Zeigler had studied it ever since.[20] When the library trustees saw Zeigler's tentative watercolor sketches of the murals, they allowed him to begin, granting him money for materials.[19]
Work began around 1941 and finished in 1945, with help from his wife, Mary. The canvas panels for the mural were completed at Fanewood, and a skylight was installed to assist with lighting.[20] At their completion, the Faerie Queene murals were the largest library murals ever completed in the United States, covering walls nearly 8 feet tall.[19] The murals were unveiled in October 1945. Following a 2015 renovation to the Enoch Pratt Free Library, the murals were overpainted for restoration.[21]
The Faerie Queene murals were motivated by Zeigler's life-long interest in the medieval and Renaissance periods, including their art and literature.[22] Much of his illustrative work for children depicted scenes from fairy tales with older origins. He was a member of the Medieval Academy of America.[23]
Death and legacy
June 16, 1952, Zeigler died at Fanewood, his estate, the top floor of which he had used as a studio in his later years.[24] He was 84 years old.[25]
After his death, the estate was sold and converted into apartments.[26] Development spurred in the area, and in the early 1950s, houses were built around the mansion. The street, Fanewood Drive in New Windsor, was named for it.
^ ab"A Fresh Start". MICA. Retrieved 2020-03-10. 1925 – 100th anniversary: "Maryland" mural by A. Lee Woodward Zeigler (class of 1885) installed in the court of the Main Building to mark the Institute's centennial with funds provided by the Municipal Art Society. University of Baltimore founded.
^"Mrs. Zeigler's Rites Set". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. 12 April 1963. p. 15.
^ ab"Mr. William J. Roe has sent out cards announcing the marriage of his daughter". The Washington Post. 21 October 1909. New York Mr William J Roe has sent out cards announcing the marriage of his daughter Mary Stuart to Mr A Lee Woodward Zeigler, Saturday October 16 at St Thomas Church New Windsor-on-the -Hudson, New York.
^"New York, County Marriages, 1847-1848; 1908-1936," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9Q97-YSGQ-TFK?cc=1618491&wc=38MT-16D%3A1583148802%2C1583192901 : 18 March 2019), Orange > Marriage records, 1908-1913, vol 1 > image 140 of 525; citing county clerk offices from various counties, New York.
^"History". St. Thomas Episcopal Church. 2018-02-18. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
^"Painting in Church Unveiled". The Tribune. 29 June 1914.
^"Ramapo Valley Independent — Historical Exhibits In Stony Point Battlefield Museum". HRVH Historical Newspapers. 13 August 1937. Retrieved 2020-03-10. The Museum was dedicated last summer, on the anniversary of the battle, and was then decorated with murals, battle pieces, portraits and maps, the latter executed by artists under Federal relief agencies. Two murals by Lee Woodward Zeigler of Newburgh, N. Y., depict, in one an allegorical representation of Washington offering Wayne, who is surrounded by his officers, the opportunity of taking Stony Point by storm, and in the other, Washington and Wayne reconnoitering Stony Point from Bochberg Mountain to the north.
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