Jacob Elshin

Jacob Alexander Elshin (December 30, 1892^[2] – 1976) was an American artist. Born in Saint Petersburg, Russia,^[3] he served as an officer in the Imperial Russian Army, and may have been a student at the St. Petersburg Academy. He arrived in Seattle in 1923 where he was described as a "straight pictorialist".^[4] His art was commissioned by the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project, where he worked with Mark Tobey, Helmi Juvonen, and others.^[5] He also provided services to the U.S. Treasury Department's Section of Painting and Sculpture.^[6] Elshin socialized with other artists at the Chinese Art Club.^[7] He died in Seattle in 1976.^[3]

Jacob Elshin, Miners at Work (1938), commissioned by the Section of Painting and Sculpture for the post office in Renton, Washington^[1]

References

1. "Renton-Highland Branch Library Mural – Renton WA". The Living New Deal. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
2. Gilbert, Dorothy B., ed. (1959). Who's Who in American Art. New York: R. R. Bowker Company. p. 168.
3. Wall text in "No Longer Forgotten: Uncovering the Stories of WPA Artists in the Northwest", Tacoma Art Museum, 2020
4. Cumming 1984, p. 159.
5. Wehr 2000, p. 285.
6. "Jacob Elshin mural is discovered at West Seattle High School in May 2000". Essay 3441. HistoryLink.org. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
7. Chang et al. 2008, p. 68.

Bibliography

• Chang, Gordon H.; Johnson, Mark Dean; Karlstrom, Paul J.; Spain, Sharon (2008). Asian American Art: A History, 1850-1970. Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-5752-2.
• Cumming, William (1984). Sketchbook: A Memoir of the 1930s and the Northwest School. University of Washington Press. ISBN 978-0-295-98560-2.
• Wehr, Wesley (2000). The Eighth Lively Art: Conversations with Painters, Poets, Musicians & the Wicked Witch of the West. University of Washington Press. ISBN 978-0-295-97956-4.