The purpose of this Page is to provide updated information about William D. White and his artwork, as it becomes available.
UPDATE: William D. White’s World War I Military Record
Visit this link for an update on William D. White’s likely overseas World War I military activity: https://www.williamdwhite.com/sample-page/military-service/
This sepia drawing on toned paper depicts two girls in a woodland, probably either Shellpot Park or Bringhurst Woods, located near White’s home in north Wilmington, Delaware. An art gallery owner from Santa Paula, CA saw the artwork and “Googled” William D. White, finding this website. He purchased the drawing and re-framed it using archival materials. It is in excellent condition. The photo (below) was unfortunately taken through the reflective glass. How it got to California remains a mystery!
In 1934 William D. White was selected as one of five Delaware artists hired under this Depression-era government program to employ out-of-work artists based on merit. Their job was to embellish Federal and other publicly-owned buildings such as hospitals and schools. William created three paintings of Civil Works Administration (CWA) workers constructing the Wilmington Waterworks building at 16th and Market Streets. One of the finished paintings was sent to Washington D.C. and placed in the office of the Commissioner of Education. The whereabouts of that painting remains unknown. The two Paintings pictured below were hung in the newly completed Wilmington waterworks building in 1935. That building was torn down in 2002, with no record indicating the disposition of the paintings. In 2016 I was contacted by the owner of the paintings through this website. It turns out that the owner’s grandfather worked for the waterworks department and was given the paintings upon his retirement!
