Biography
Francis Barker Valentine (American, 1897 -1985) noted painter, illustrator, designer, muralist and teacher was known for his watercolor landscapes, seascapes and cityscapes, murals and commercial advertising design work.
Valentine studied at the Buffalo School of Fine Art (Albright Art School), Buffalo, NY from 1916 -1917 and later studied at the Yale School of Fine Art from 1918 – 1921 (now the Yale University School of Art), where he received his B.F.A. for advanced work of distinction in painting, New Haven, CT. He further studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA.
From 1921 to 1928 Valentine worked as a commercial designer in the art department of Baton, Durstine & Osborne Co, advertising agency (known as the Baton, Barton, Durstine & Osborn Co. after 1928) in New York City. He taught at the Albright Art School, Buffalo, NY (circa 1932). During the early thirty’s he worked for the federal Public Works of Art Project (WPAP) designing murals. He also taught at the Buffalo Museum of Science and at Hamburg High School. He left freelance commercial art to assume the position of senior artist at the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library in 1966, Buffalo, NY.
Valentine maintained his home in Hamburg, NY, 1936 until his death in 1985.
Chronology
1897: Born, September 20th to Francis James Valentine and Ada I. (Barker) , Buffalo, NY
1915: Graduated from Buffalo Technical High School, Buffalo, NY
1916: Furthered education at Technical Night School, in commercial design, Buffalo, NY
1916 -17: Won scholarship and studied at the Buffalo School of Fine Arts (Albright Art School)
1917-18: Served with the United States Army – Honorable discharge 11/26/1918
1918 -21: Received scholarship and studied at the Yale School of Fine Art (now the Yale University School of Art), receiving his B.F.A. for advanced work of distinction in painting and while studying there, received two first-mentions in the Beaux Arts competition in the mural decoration field, New Haven, CT.
1921: Further studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA.
1921 -28: Worked as a commercial designer in the art department for Baton, and Osborn Co. advertising agency (later known as Baton, Barton, Durstine and Osborn)
1926: Exhibited, group show, landscape paintings, Erie County Fair, Hamburg, NY
1933-34: Worked on the federal Public Works of Art Project (APWP) designing murals, one such preliminary sketch, A Trained Man is a Useful Citizen, colored pencil on tracing paper 12” by 28” was proposed for a mural at the Burgard Vocational High School, Buffalo, NY. but was never completed because the WPAP ended before he could execute it. The sketch compared the pioneers of the 19th Century to those in Buffalo’s aircraft industry for which the high school was training its students
1945: Exhibited (prize), Albright Art Gallery (now the Albright Knox Art Gallery)
1953: Exhibited solo show Hamburg, NY
1954: Exhibited (prize) Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY
1955: Exhibited (silver medal), Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY
1955 -58: Exhibited (three prizes) Erie County Fair, Hamburg, NY
1957: Exhibited solo show, Crane Branch of the Buffalo & Erie County Library, Buffalo, NY
1958: Exhibited, (best in show prize), Erie County Fair, Hamburg, NY
1960: Exhibited group show (prize), Erie County Fair, Hamburg, NY
1966 - : Worked as the senior artist at the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
1985: Died January 31. Funeral was on February 2nd. At the Froehly Funeral Home Hamburg, NY and is buried with his mother and father Elm Lawn Cemetery Tonawanda, NY. He was survived by his wife, Mildred, and his two children, Francis Carl and Mary Julie Dake.
For the biography and chronology, we relied heavily upon research conducted by Meibohm Fine Arts in East Aurora , NY. We thank the gallery for giving us permission to use their research on this website.