Merle Armitage

Last updated
Merle Armitage
Born1893
Iowa, U.S.
DiedMarch 15, 1975
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)tour manager, set designer, opera producer, art collector, author, book designer
Children1

Merle Armitage (1893 - March 15, 1975) was an American set designer, tour manager, theater producer, opera producer, art collector, [1] author, and book designer.

Contents

Biography

Armitage was born in 1893 in Iowa. [2]

Armitage became a theater set designer in New York City. [2] He was the tour manager for the Scotti Grand Opera Company, the Russian Grand Opera Company, [3] and The Beggars Opera. [4] He co-founded the Los Angeles Grand Opera Association in 1924, and he was its manager until 1930. [4] [3] He managed the Los Angeles Philharmonic Auditorium, from 1933 to 1939. [2] From 1933 to 1934 he was director of the Public Works of Art Project's Region 14, California south of Paso Robles. [5]

Armitage was the editorial and art director of Look magazine, [6] and he was the president of the American Institute of Graphic Arts in 1951. [2] He designed and authored many books, including Saints and Saint Makers, Operatic Masterpieces, Operations Santa Fe, and Burro Alley. [4] He authored two books about Igor Stravinsky and a book about George Gershwin, two men whose tours he managed. [3]

Armitage was married four times, and he had a daughter, Chama. [3] He died on March 15, 1975, in Yucca Valley, California, at age 82. [4] [3] [6]

Selected works

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferde Grofé</span> American composer, arranger, pianist and instrumentalist

Ferdinand Rudolph von Grofé, known as Ferde Grofé was an American composer, arranger, pianist and instrumentalist. He is best known for his 1931 five-movement symphonic poem, Grand Canyon Suite, and for having orchestrated George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue for its 1924 premiere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary</span> Cemetery in Los Angeles, California, US

Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park & Mortuary is a cemetery and mortuary located in the Westwood Village area of Los Angeles. It is located at 1218 Glendon Avenue in Westwood, with an entrance from Glendon Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public Works of Art Project</span> American New Deal work-relief project (1933–1934)

The Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) was a New Deal work-relief program that employed professional artists to create sculptures, paintings, crafts and design for public buildings and parks during the Great Depression in the United States. The program operated from December 8, 1933, to May 20, 1934, administered by Edward Bruce under the United States Treasury Department, with funding from the Federal Emergency Relief Administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merna Kennedy</span> American actress

Merna Kennedy was an American actress of the late silent era and the transitional period into talkies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elise Cavanna</span> American actress and dancer (1902–1963)

Elise Alyse Cavanna was an American film actress, stage comedian, dancer, and fine artist. She went by the following names: Elise Seeds, Alyse Seeds, Elise Armitage, Elise Cavanna, and Elise Welton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul T. Frankl</span> American architect (1886–1958)

Paul T. Frankl, an Art Deco furniture designer and maker, architect, painter and writer from Vienna, Austria, was the son of a wealthy real estate speculator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyler Brooke</span> American actor (1886–1943)

Tyler Brooke was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 90 films between 1915 and 1943. He was born in New York, New York and died in Los Angeles, California by committing suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning.

George Fleming Houston was an American B-western film actor and accomplished singer in the early half of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Porcasi</span> Italian actor (1879–1946)

Paul Porcasi was an Italian actor. He appeared in more than 140 films from 1917 to 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wiard Ihnen</span> American art director

Wiard Boppo "Bill" Ihnen was an American art director. He was active from 1919 to 1960 and won Academy Awards for Best Art Direction for Wilson (1944) and Blood on the Sun (1945). He was married to Edith Head.

Ernst Fegté was a German art director. He was active in the American cinema from the 1920s to the 1970s, he was the art director or production designer on more than 75 feature films. He worked at Paramount Studios at the height of his career and won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction for Frenchman's Creek (1944). He was also nominated in the same category for three other films: Five Graves to Cairo (1943), The Princess and the Pirate (1944), and Destination Moon (1950). He also worked in television in the 1950s and was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1956 for his work on the series, Medic.

Louise Sandhaus is an American graphic designer and design educator. She is a professor at California Institute of the Arts and is principal of Louise Sandhaus Design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zari Elmassian</span> American singer

Zaruhi Elmassian, known professionally as Zari Elmassian and later as Zaruhi Elmassian Vartian, was an American singer, best known for her voice work on Hollywood musicals in the 1930s, including The Wizard of Oz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isabel Morse Jones</span> American musician, arts patron and clubwoman

Isabel Morse Jones was an American musician, arts patron, and clubwoman. She was the music and dance critic at the Los Angeles Times, from 1925 to 1947.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roena Muckelroy Savage</span>

Roena Muckelroy Savage was an American concert soprano, voice educator, and choir director.

Arthur Millier was a British-born American painter, etcher, printmaker, and art critic. He was the art critic for the Los Angeles Times from 1926 to 1958. His work is in the permanent collections of many museums in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grisella Kingsland</span> American actress

Grisella de Courcy Kingsland was an American actress based in San Francisco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Corcoran</span> American actress

Jane Corcoran was an American stage actress.

Adrienne MatzenauerFerrari-Fontana was an American singer and television host.

References

  1. "Obituaries : Lynton R. Kistler; Modern Artists' Lithographer". Los Angeles Times. 1993-11-16. Retrieved 2021-08-19.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Finding Aid for the Merle Armitage Collection 1919-1971". Online Archive of California. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Armitage Services Held; Art and Music Figure". The Los Angeles Times. March 20, 1975. p. 83. Retrieved July 3, 2020 via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Merle Armitage, author dies in Yucca Valley". The San Bernardino County Sun. March 17, 1975. p. 19. Retrieved July 3, 2020 via Newspapers.com.
  5. Public Works of Art Project. Report of the Assistant Director of the Treasury to Federal Emergency Relief Administrator, December 8, 1933 – June 30, 1934. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. 1934. pp. 3–4.
  6. 1 2 "Author Dies At 82". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. March 17, 1975. p. 14. Retrieved July 3, 2020 via Newspapers.com.