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 Dow Chemical Portrayed The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation’s Collection of the Art Works of Arthur Henry Knighton-Hammond Overview In 1920 Herbert H. Dow commissioned British artist Arthur Henry Knighton-Hammond to paint scenes of various locations throughout the Dow Chemical Company plant complex in Midland, Michigan. During his six-month appointment, Knighton-Hammond painted about 40 compositions, and today, about 20 works remain. The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation’s collection of these paintings, which exemplifies the industrial painting genre of the 1920s, is currently on exhibit at CHF. A full-color catalog accompanying the Dow Chemical Portrayed exhibit is also available. About the Artist Arthur Henry Knighton-Hammond was born on 18 September 1875 in Arnold, Nottingham, England. At an early age he showed a remarkable talent and great enthusiasm for drawing. He attended school until age 12, when his father arranged an apprenticeship for him with a watchmaker. Throughout this apprenticeship, Knighton-Hammond attended evening classes at the Nottingham School of Art, where his talents shone brightly. In 1896 he took his four-hour final exams, receiving the highest possible rating. In 1900 Knighton-Hammond moved to London to pursue his career, where he began by designing and painting scenes for postcards. His real desire, however, was to paint landscapes. During World War I, he was classified unfit for active military service and was detailed to a Ministry of Munitions drawing unit. Impressed with Knighton-Hammond’s abilities, the director of the Ministry’s Explosives Supply Department offered him a job drawing the newly developed coke ovens. Knighton-Hammond accepted, producing several sketches of the new facilities. Later, he worked with British Dyes Ltd., producing numerous drawings of their Dalton Works. His expertise was in watercolor, and he executed watercolor landscapes of Dalton Works and a nearby plant called Turnbridge. Throughout 1919 he continued to work at both the Turnbridge plant and the Dalton Works, rendering scene upon scene in oil and watercolor, but Knighton-Hammond was growing restless. Feeling that he had exhausted his possibilities at British Dyes, he sought new environments in which to continue his painting of industrial landscapes. He looked across the Atlantic to the new center of industrial progress, and on 8 May 1919 he wrote a letter to The Dow Chemical Company. About Dow Herbert Henry Dow was one of the most eminent figures in industrial chemistry of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In his lifetime Dow received over 100 patents and was a true pioneer in the American chemical industry. Both a chemist and an astute businessman, he built The Dow Chemical Company from humble beginnings in Canton, Ohio. Soon, he moved his enterprise to Midland, Michigan, where, in an ever-expanding facility, new processes and products proliferated and established Dow as a worldwide chemical giant. Herbert Dow and his wife, Grace, both had a deep fondness for art. Avid personal collectors of paintings and enthusiasts of culture, the couple often took family trips to New York City to scour galleries, attend the theatre, and stroll through museums. When Knighton-Hammond’s letter reached Dow’s desk, he had already been contemplating the extension of his personal enthusiasm for painting to the activity of his company. The Dow Chemical Company felt the effects of the economic depression that ensued after World War I, and it entered a period of relative stagnation. Having attended the National Exposition of Chemical Industries and witnessed the National Aniline & Chemical Company’s success with their industrial paintings, Dow believed that artistic renderings of his own plant would enhance the company’s public profile and, thereby, its business. About the Commission Herbert Dow personally responded to the Knighton-Hammond’s letter, intrigued by the possibility of artistically capturing the plant in a series of murals. Dow learned more about Knighton-Hammond’s experience and talent through subsequent correspondence, and on 24 December 1919, he formally commissioned the artist to paint various scenes of the Dow plant. Knighton-Hammond set sail for the United States on 12 April 1920, reaching Midland, Michigan, on 27 April. Prior to Knighton-Hammond’s arrival, Herbert Dow suggested some locations in the plant as possible scenes for the commissioned paintings, going so far as to furnish the artist with several photographs of plant sites. Accustomed to industrial surroundings, Knighton-Hammond seemed to have an intuitive grasp of the Dow plant and of those areas that would provide the best subject matter for his paintings. By the end of September 1920, he had finished about 25 paintings for the Dow commission. These were transported to New York City for the company’s exhibit at the National Exposition of Chemical Industries on 7 October. The response to Knighton-Hammond’s work was very favorable. His paintings proved an excellent medium for promoting The Dow Chemical Company in the public eye, and Herbert Dow was hailed for recognizing the aesthetic qualities of his plant and for securing the talent of Knighton-Hammond to capture them. The accompanying exhibit catalog to Dow Chemical Portrayed contains an extensive list of articles and books for further reading. |
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