Name/Title
Untitled (Portrait of Four Dogs and a Cat), Tom Lovell, Oil PaintingDescription
Oil painting of four dogs (boxers) and a cat at Malabar Farm.
Tom Lovell completed this painting for Calvert Whiskey. It was one of a series of paintings that Lovell did for Calvert Whiskey. The Malabar Farm painting was completed in approximately 1947. Despite the use of Malabar Farm to promote Calvert Whiskey, Louis Bromfield’s favorite whiskey was White Horse Blended Scotch Whiskey.Context
Tom Lovell was born in New York City in 1909 and graduated from Syracuse University in 1931. He sold drawings to popular western and detective magazines by his junior year. After graduation, Lovell specialized in story illustrations and covers for pulp fiction magazines. In 1936, Lovell began producing illustrations for advertising agencies and magazines such as Red Book, Colliers, Cosmopolitan, and Life. He also did work for National Geographic.
In 1969, Lovell was commissioned to create a series of paintings depicting the history of the American Southwest. This work marked a turning point in Lovell’s career. In 1972, he moved to New Mexico. From that point on, he specialized in western art. In 1974, Lovell was elected to the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame. In 1975, he became a member of the Cowboy Artists of America. He said, “I consider myself a storyteller with a brush.” In 1997, Tom Lovell died in an automobile accident in New Mexico.
- Text and research by Thomas Bachelder of the Malabar Farm FoundationLocation
Building
The Big HouseOhio State Park
Malabar Farm State Park
