Major Domo

Drawing

Vermont Historical Society

Name/Title

Major Domo

Entry/Object ID

2006.40.1

Description

Large-format drawing depicting a man in a white drum major's uniform. The figure is depicted with a whistle in his mouth, his left hand resting on his left hip, and his right hand positioned in a semi-saluting gesture. He is wearing a tall fur hat with a red plume, and has several yellow ropes attached to his right shoulder. The bottom right of the composition has the decoratively written title, "Major Domo/Ralph Olliver." The work is signed in the lower right, "Al Comi."

Type of Drawing

Wash - Porous Point Pen

Artwork Details

Medium

Ink, Gouache

Subject Person

Olliver, C. Ralph (1899-1979)

Subject Place

City

Barre City

County

Washington County

State/Province

Vermont

Country

United States of America

Continent

North America

Context

Ralph Olliver was as outsized in his local fame as this large image by noted Barre artist Al Comi. Olliver, born in 1899 and a WWI veteran, served as Barre City Clerk for 50 years (1926 to 1976). At about the same time he started his first Clerk term, he joined the American Legion Post 10 Drum and Bugle Corps. He initially tried his hand at bass drum, but in his words, "That's when they decided I was making too much noise. I was a big fellow, and they figured I'd stand out any way, so they gave me the baton, told me to go up front and be the frum major and keep quiet." Olliver became a fixture at Barre and other local parades through the 1930s. The Legion band folded in 1936 due to lack of members, but came roaring back in the years following WWII with a fresh infusion of veterans. Olliver continued to serve as the Legion drum major and soon became the leader of the Shriners band. As the drum major for the Shriners he travelled all over the U.S. and Canada and became well known for his parade-leading abilities. He retired from the drum major position in 1965 as his knees started to give him trouble. This drawing probably dates from about this time. At the time of his retirement from the Barre City Clerk's office in 1976, Olliver was the longest serving city clerk in Vermont, a record that still stands today. Through his time in office he saw the 1927 flood, the great depression, the large CCC works in and around Barre, the construction of the Barre City Auditorium, and the development of the new Spaulding High School and Technical Center. He named the funding and construction of the Barre City Auditorium in 1939 as one of his greatest achievements.

Acquisition

Accession

2006.40

Source or Donor

Soutar, Marcia, Soutar, Jim

Acquisition Method

Gift

Credit Line

In memory of C. Ralph Olliver

Made/Created

Artist

Comi, Alfred Joseph Peter (1900-1986)

Date made

circa 1965

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Drawing

Nomenclature Class

Art

Nomenclature Category

Category 08: Communication Objects

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Overall (framed)

Height

97 in

Width

45 in

Relationships

Related Places

Place