Lewis, Howard W. (1854-1940)

Lewis, Howard W. (1854-1940)

Molarsky, Maurice

1936 (circa)

Howard W. Lewis was a member of the Athenaeum Board of Directors for fifty-two years, serving as Treasurer from 1888 to 1926 and as Vice President from 1926 until his death in 1940. A banker by profession, Lewis was also a philanthropist, historian, and sports enthusiast. This portrait was acquired in 1949 by bequest of Lewis's widow, Mabel Potter Lewis, who also served on the Athenæum Board of Directors. Molarsky, born 1885 in Kiev, emigrated to Philadelphia where he became a student at the School of Industrial Arts. An accomplished portrait and still life painter, he won many awards, including a silver medal at the Panama-Pacific Exposition, San Francisco (1915), a gold medal from the Art Club of Philadelphia (1919), and a silver medal at the Sesqui-Centennial Exposition (1926).

25" x 30"

Oil on canvas; gilt frame

Bequest of Mabel Potter Lewis; PAFA 131st Exhibtion in Oil and Sculpture #1552

General Collection, Museum Collection, The Athenaeum of Philadelphia

1949.02.01

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