Olin Dows
American painter and printmaker, 1904-1981
Place of BirthIrvington-on-Hudson, New York, USA
Place of DeathRhinebeck, New York, USA
Olin Dows was born on August 14, 1904 in Irvington-on-Hudson, New York. He was the son of Mr. Tracy "Pup" Dows and Alice Olin Dows. He was the grandson of Stephen H. Olin, a New York City attorney and founder of the Dutchess County Historical Society, and he was the great-grandson of the Rev. Stephen Henry Olin, a prominent Methodist educator and early president of Wesleyan College in Connecticut.
In 1908, Dows moved with his parents to "Foxhollow," a 1000-acre estate in Rhinebeck, New York, where eventually the Rhinebeck Country School was built. As an adult, Dows resided in "Glenburn," his mother Alice's ancestral home adjoining Foxhollow.
Dows attended St. Marks School, a preparatory school in Massachusetts, and he later studied art at Harvard University and at Yale School of Fine Arts, specializing in murals, panels, and screens. From 1934 to 1936, Dows served as an administrator in the Federal Works Agency Public Buildings Administration Section of Fine Arts. In 1939, he received a commission from the FWA to design and paint the murals in the Rhinebeck Post Office. In 1941, at the suggestion of President Roosevelt, Dows was commissioned to design and paint the murals in the Hyde Park Post Office as well. During this period, Dows was very involved in the Rhinebeck community and served on the local school board.
In 1942, Dows enlisted in the U.S. Army and was assigned to the Engineers Corps, later becoming a Technical Sergeant in the Historical Section. He was appointed one of three artists in the European Theatre to make a pictorial record of operations there. Dows spoke German fluently, and while in Joigny, France he reportedly convinced 56 Nazis to surrender. In December 1944, Dows received a Bronze Star for bravery during military operations in St. Lo, France.
In 1949, Dows published Franklin Roosevelt at Hyde Park for which he spent two years writing the text and drawing the book's 174 illustrations. The Dows family had been lifelong friends and neighbors of the Roosevelts, and the Dows family frequently attended as guests events at Hyde Park and in Washington, D.C., both before and during the presidency. Dows also had worked closely with the President in the conception and design of the Hyde Park Post Office murals.
After the publication of “Franklin Roosevelt at Hyde Park,” Dows continued with his painting and held numerous gallery showings. He was a frequent lecturer and teacher on art and art history.
In 1950, Dows married Carmen Vial de Senoret of Chile. Prior to their marriage, Mrs. Dows was a member of the Chilean delegation to the United Nations and an accredited Chilean Minister to the Netherlands. Following their marriage, Dows and his wife lived in her native Chile six months out of the year, returning to Glenburn every spring.
Dows had one stepson, Mr. Luis Browne. His sister Deborah Dows was a lifelong Rhinebeck resident and owner of Southland Farms. His other sister Margaret ("Bargy") Dows Thyberg was married to Knut Thyberg, a Swedish diplomat.
Olin Dows died June 6, 1981, at the age of 76.
The Olin Dows Papers, donated to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum by Dows and his stepson, Mr. Luis Browne, consist primarily of personal correspondence and materials relating to his lectures, writings, and various art projects and activities.
[SOURCE: Finding Aid for the Papers of Olin Dows at the Franklin D. Presidential Library and Museum https://www.fdrlibrary.org/documents/356632/390886/findingaid_dows.pdf/a3516096-ebba-4118-8a0a-97d9b8992a54]
In 1908, Dows moved with his parents to "Foxhollow," a 1000-acre estate in Rhinebeck, New York, where eventually the Rhinebeck Country School was built. As an adult, Dows resided in "Glenburn," his mother Alice's ancestral home adjoining Foxhollow.
Dows attended St. Marks School, a preparatory school in Massachusetts, and he later studied art at Harvard University and at Yale School of Fine Arts, specializing in murals, panels, and screens. From 1934 to 1936, Dows served as an administrator in the Federal Works Agency Public Buildings Administration Section of Fine Arts. In 1939, he received a commission from the FWA to design and paint the murals in the Rhinebeck Post Office. In 1941, at the suggestion of President Roosevelt, Dows was commissioned to design and paint the murals in the Hyde Park Post Office as well. During this period, Dows was very involved in the Rhinebeck community and served on the local school board.
In 1942, Dows enlisted in the U.S. Army and was assigned to the Engineers Corps, later becoming a Technical Sergeant in the Historical Section. He was appointed one of three artists in the European Theatre to make a pictorial record of operations there. Dows spoke German fluently, and while in Joigny, France he reportedly convinced 56 Nazis to surrender. In December 1944, Dows received a Bronze Star for bravery during military operations in St. Lo, France.
In 1949, Dows published Franklin Roosevelt at Hyde Park for which he spent two years writing the text and drawing the book's 174 illustrations. The Dows family had been lifelong friends and neighbors of the Roosevelts, and the Dows family frequently attended as guests events at Hyde Park and in Washington, D.C., both before and during the presidency. Dows also had worked closely with the President in the conception and design of the Hyde Park Post Office murals.
After the publication of “Franklin Roosevelt at Hyde Park,” Dows continued with his painting and held numerous gallery showings. He was a frequent lecturer and teacher on art and art history.
In 1950, Dows married Carmen Vial de Senoret of Chile. Prior to their marriage, Mrs. Dows was a member of the Chilean delegation to the United Nations and an accredited Chilean Minister to the Netherlands. Following their marriage, Dows and his wife lived in her native Chile six months out of the year, returning to Glenburn every spring.
Dows had one stepson, Mr. Luis Browne. His sister Deborah Dows was a lifelong Rhinebeck resident and owner of Southland Farms. His other sister Margaret ("Bargy") Dows Thyberg was married to Knut Thyberg, a Swedish diplomat.
Olin Dows died June 6, 1981, at the age of 76.
The Olin Dows Papers, donated to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum by Dows and his stepson, Mr. Luis Browne, consist primarily of personal correspondence and materials relating to his lectures, writings, and various art projects and activities.
[SOURCE: Finding Aid for the Papers of Olin Dows at the Franklin D. Presidential Library and Museum https://www.fdrlibrary.org/documents/356632/390886/findingaid_dows.pdf/a3516096-ebba-4118-8a0a-97d9b8992a54]