George Withers Collection [SC2024.02]

Summary Information

Collection ID: SC2024.02

Title: George Withers Collection

Repository: Blue Ridge Community College Archive and Special Collections

Date Range: 1945-1953

Extent: One folder

Languages and Scripts of Materials: English

Name of Creator(s): Brian Withers, son of George Withers

Preferred Citation: [identification of item], [Name of Collection], Blue Ridge Community College Archive and Special Collections, Blue Ridge Community College

Scope and Content

This collection is comprised of various copies of artwork created by George Withers, which includes 10 photocopies of his art prints as well as 7 photocopies of his illustrations for different advertisements and book covers. There is also a copy of a letter from Lt. General Lucius D. Clay to George Withers regarding his portrait. Included in the collection is a biographical statement written by Brian Withers, son of George Withers, about his father’s art career.  

Biographical History

George Withers was born December 21, 1911, in Wichita, Kansas. He attended Kansas University in Lawrence, Kansas. During his senior year, he won a national scholarship, and it helped him continue his studies at the Art Students League of New York in New York City. His work was featured in Colliers, Cosmopolitan, Field & Stream, Life Magazine, Newsweek, the New York Times, Redbook Magazine, Saturday Evening Post, and in 26 novels. After the start of World War II, he joined the Army as a war artist for Stars & Stripes Magazine in London. His work also appeared in Army Talk and other military publications. He was transferred to the European Theatre of Operations headquarters in Paris, France during the last year of the war. When he returned home, he struggled with PTSD and was admitted to a hospital for counseling and art therapy. Afterwards, he continued his career as a magazine and book illustrator. He died on February 6, 1959.

Administrative Information

Conditions Governing Access: No restrictions. Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use: No restrictions for personal or academic research and use. Copyright for these items is retained by the creator, either person or organization, and their heirs as outlined by United States copyright law. Please check with staff before reproducing any records. Researchers are responsible for identifying and contacting any copyright holders if they wish to use the materials from the collection for public display or publication.

Rights Statement for Archival Description: Blue Ridge Community College Archive finding aids and their metadata are part of the public domain. They can be used by students, researchers, and other institutions as needed. This only applies to what is written in the finding aid but does not cover any digitized materials, links, or quotations from other sources.

Sensitive Materials Statement: Archival records may contain sensitive or confidential information that is protected by federal or state privacy laws and regulations. When conducting research, please remember that the publication of information about identifiable living people without their consent could have legal ramifications, and Blue Ridge Community College holds no responsibility.

Processing Information: Originally processed by Rachel Quinn, December 2024.

Collection Inventory

Box 1

Folder 1: Copies of Art Prints, Magazine Illustrations, and a Letter
– Description of George Withers’s career written by his son Brian Withers
– Full page advertisement in the Saturday Evening Post by the American Gas Association, 1945
– Illustration of homeless family, Army Talks magazine, European Theatre of Operations (ETO), Paris, 1945
– Nazi Guard shooting at Jews, Army Talks magazine, ETO, Paris, 1945
– Pen and ink illustrations, Army Talks magazine, ETO, Paris, 1945
– Letter of thanks from Lt. General Lucius D. Clay to George Withers for portrait, ETO, 1945
– Portrait of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, ETO, 1945
– GI with PTSD in New York hospital with a wet compress on forehead, 1946
– Catatonic GO with PTSD in hospital, 1946
– 4 GIs with PTSD in hospital (one without a head), 1946
– Angry GI with PTSD in hospital, 1946
– Watercolor of nurse in hospital with 7 GIs with PTSD, 1946
– Watercolor of nurse in hospital with 14 GIs with PTSD, 1946
– Illustration for cover of novel by Natalie Shipman, Redbook Magazine, 1948
– Self-modeled coffee advertisement, 1952
– 4 illustrations for “Can You Diagnose this Case?” in Psychologist’s Casebook, Redbook Magazine, 1953