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{{Short description|American painter}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Grif Teller
| name = Grif Teller
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| alt =
| alt =
| caption =
| caption =
| birth_name = Griffith Harold Teller
| birth_date = {{birth date|1899|12|9}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1899|12|9}}
| birth_place = [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]], [[New Jersey]]
| birth_place = [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]], New Jersey
| death_date = {{death date and age|1993|4|8|1899|12|9}}<ref name="NYT">{{cite news |title=Obituary |date=April 11, 1993 |work=[[The New York Times]] |page=30}}</ref>
| death_date = {{death date and age|1993|4|8|1899|12|9}}<ref name="NYT">{{cite news |title=Obituary |date=April 11, 1993 |work=[[The New York Times]] |page=30}}</ref>
| death_place = [[Westfield, New Jersey|Westfield]], [[New Jersey]]
| death_place = [[Westfield, New Jersey|Westfield]], New Jersey
| body_discovered =
| body_discovered =
| death_cause =
| death_cause =
| resting_place = [[Immaculate Conception Cemetery, Montclair|Immaculate Conception Cemetery]]<ref name="NYT"/>
| resting_place = [[Immaculate Conception Cemetery, Montclair|Immaculate Conception Cemetery]]<ref name="NYT"/>
| residence = [[Skaneateles (town), New York|Skaneateles]], [[New York]]<ref name="NYT"/>
| nationality =
| nationality =
| ethnicity =
| citizenship =
| citizenship =
| known_for = [[Pennsylvania Railroad]] wall calendar paintings
| known_for = [[Pennsylvania Railroad]] wall calendar paintings
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| employer =
| employer =
| notable works =
| notable works =
| occupation = [[Artist]]
| occupation = Artist
| years_active =
| years_active =
| home_town =
| religion =
| spouse = Mabel
| spouse = Mabel
| children = Robert, John and Ruth
| children = Robert, John and Ruth
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}}
}}


'''Griffith Harold "Grif" Teller''' (December 9, 1899 &ndash; April 8, 1993) was an artist famous for his paintings for the [[Pennsylvania Railroad]].
'''Griffith Harold "Grif" Teller''' (December 9, 1899 – April 8, 1993) was an artist best known for his paintings for the [[Pennsylvania Railroad]].


== Early life ==
== Early life ==
Teller was born on December 9, 1899 in [[Newark, New Jersey]].<ref>Cupper 1992, p. 25.</ref> Teller attended the [[Barringer High School]] until his junior year, when he transferred to the [[Fawcett School of Industrial Arts]].<ref>Cupper 1992, p. 27.</ref> With what started as a temporary job with the Osborne Company, an advertising and color calendar company, towards the end of [[World War I]], Teller was hired permanently after showing the head of Osborne's Designing Department some of his paintings.<ref>Cupper 1992, p. 29.</ref>
Teller was born on December 9, 1899, in [[Newark, New Jersey]].{{sfnp|Cupper|Murry|1992|p=25}} Teller attended the [[Barringer High School]] until his junior year, when he transferred to the [[Fawcett School of Industrial Arts]].{{sfnp|Cupper|Murry|1992|p=27}} With what started as a temporary job with the Osborne Company, an advertising and color calendar company, towards the end of [[World War I]], Teller was hired permanently after showing the head of Osborne's Designing Department some of his paintings.{{sfnp|Cupper|Murry|1992|p=29}}

He was a long-time resident of [[Little Falls, New Jersey]].<ref>Simmons, Rose. [https://web.archive.org/web/20150710180720/http://articles.philly.com/1993-04-10/news/25979104_1_calendars-oil-painting-grif-teller "Grif Teller, 93; Made His Railway Paintings Into 'A Work Of Art'"], ''[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]'', April 10, 1993. Retrieved July 9, 2015. "Born in Newark, N.J., Mr. Teller lived most of his life in his home town and in Little Falls, N.J."</ref>


== Career ==
== Career ==
[[File:Main Lines&mdash;Freight and Passenger.jpg|thumb|Painting for the 1949 calendar, titled ''Main Lines&mdash;Freight and Passenger'']]
[[File:Main Lines—Freight and Passenger by Grif Teller, 1949.jpg|thumb|Painting for the 1949 calendar, titled ''Main Lines—Freight and Passenger'']]
[[File:Mass Transportation (Army-Navy Game) by Grif Teller, 1955.jpg|thumb|Painting for the 1955 calendar, titled ''Mass Transportation'']]
In 1927, Teller was given an assignment to paint the 1928 [[wall calendar]] scene for the Pennsylvania Railroad.<ref>Cupper 1992, p. 30.</ref> The Pennsylvania returned to Teller the next year, and he eventually painted all of the calendar scenes for their calendars up to 1942. Other artists were contracted to paint the artwork for the calendar during [[World War II]], as the Pennsylvania was favoring more patriotic scenes.<ref>Cupper 1992, p. 34.</ref> Teller painted for the Pennsylvania once again after the war, starting with the 1947 calendar. The Osborne Company was sold to a competitor in 1953, eventually causing Teller to be [[layoff|laid off]].<ref>Cupper 1992, p. 34.</ref> He continued to paint for the Pennsylvania as a [[freelancer]], until the railroad discontinued full-size wall calendars in 1959. His freelance work, which encompassed both railroad and non-railroad subjects, continued into the 1980s.
In 1927, Teller was given an assignment to paint the 1928 [[wall calendar]] scene for the Pennsylvania Railroad.{{sfnp|Cupper|Murry|1992|p=30}} The Pennsylvania returned to Teller the next year, and he eventually painted all of the calendar scenes for their calendars up to 1942. Other artists were contracted to paint the artwork for the calendar during [[World War II]], as the Pennsylvania was favoring more patriotic scenes.{{sfnp|Cupper|Murry|1992|p=34}} Teller painted for the Pennsylvania once again after the war, starting with the 1947 calendar. The Osborne Company was sold to a competitor in 1953, eventually causing Teller to be [[layoff|laid off]].{{sfnp|Cupper|Murry|1992|p=34}} He continued to paint for the Pennsylvania as a [[freelancer]], until the railroad discontinued full-size wall calendars in 1959.<ref>Many of his Pennsylvania paintings are reproduced in Alvin Staufer's book, "Pennsy Power: Steam and Electric Locomotives of the Pennsylvania Railroad, 1900–1957" (1962, Alvin F. Staufer).</ref> His freelance work, which encompassed both railroad and non-railroad subjects, continued into the 1980s.


Teller's 1928 painting, ''When the [[Broadway Limited|Broadway]] Meets the Dawn'', was used as the background for the "Preserve Our Heritage" special-fund license plate introduced in 1998 by [[Pennsylvania Department of Transportation|PennDOT]] to help fund [[Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission]] programs, which receives $15 of the $35 fee for each of those license plates, which are still sold today. <ref>[http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/license_plates/special_fund.shtml PennDOT page stating purpose of "railroad" license plate] Retrieved 2010-12-23</ref>
Teller's 1928 painting, ''When the [[Broadway Limited|Broadway]] Meets the Dawn'', was used as the background for the "Preserve Our Heritage" special-fund license plate introduced in 1998 by [[Pennsylvania Department of Transportation|PennDOT]] to help fund [[Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission]] programs, which receives $23 of the $55 fee for each of those license plates, which are still sold today.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dmv.pa.gov/license_plates/special_fund.shtml |title=PennDOT page stating purpose of "railroad" license plate |access-date=23 December 2010}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}


== References ==
== References ==
{{reflist}}
⚫
* {{cite book |last=Cupper |first=Dan |year=1992 |title=Crossroads of Commerce: The Pennsylvania Railroad calendar art of Grif Teller |publisher=Great Eastern |location=[[Richmond, Vermont|Richmond, VT]] |isbn=0-9625602-1-9}}

=== Sources ===
⚫
* {{cite book |last1=Cupper |first1=Dan |last2=Murry |first2=Ken |year=1992 |title=Crossroads of Commerce: The Pennsylvania Railroad Calendar Art of Grif Teller |publisher=Great Eastern Publishing |location=Richmond, VT |isbn=978-0-9625-6021-7 |oclc=27779012 }}

⚫
{{Authority control}}


⚫
{{Authority control|VIAF=55981360}}
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME =Teller, Grif
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American artist
| DATE OF BIRTH =December 9, 1899
| PLACE OF BIRTH =[[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]], [[New Jersey]]
| DATE OF DEATH =April 8, 1993
| PLACE OF DEATH =[[Westfield, New Jersey|Westfield]], [[New Jersey]]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Teller, Grif}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Teller, Grif}}
[[Category:1899 births]]
[[Category:1899 births]]
[[Category:1993 deaths]]
[[Category:1993 deaths]]
[[Category:Artists from New Jersey]]
[[Category:American landscape artists]]
[[Category:Landscape artists]]
[[Category:People from Little Falls, New Jersey]]
[[Category:People from Newark, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Painters from Newark, New Jersey]]
[[Category:People from Passaic County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Barringer High School alumni]]
[[Category:Pennsylvania Railroad people]]
[[Category:Pennsylvania Railroad people]]
[[Category:20th-century American painters]]
[[Category:American male painters]]
[[Category:20th-century American male artists]]

Latest revision as of 19:16, 31 October 2024

Grif Teller
Born(1899-12-09)December 9, 1899
Newark, New Jersey
DiedApril 8, 1993(1993-04-08) (aged 93)[1]
Westfield, New Jersey
Resting placeImmaculate Conception Cemetery[1]
OccupationArtist
Known forPennsylvania Railroad wall calendar paintings
SpouseMabel
ChildrenRobert, John and Ruth
Parent(s)Albert D. and Mary H. Teller

Griffith Harold "Grif" Teller (December 9, 1899 – April 8, 1993) was an artist best known for his paintings for the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Early life

[edit]

Teller was born on December 9, 1899, in Newark, New Jersey.[2] Teller attended the Barringer High School until his junior year, when he transferred to the Fawcett School of Industrial Arts.[3] With what started as a temporary job with the Osborne Company, an advertising and color calendar company, towards the end of World War I, Teller was hired permanently after showing the head of Osborne's Designing Department some of his paintings.[4]

He was a long-time resident of Little Falls, New Jersey.[5]

Career

[edit]
Painting for the 1949 calendar, titled Main Lines—Freight and Passenger
Painting for the 1955 calendar, titled Mass Transportation

In 1927, Teller was given an assignment to paint the 1928 wall calendar scene for the Pennsylvania Railroad.[6] The Pennsylvania returned to Teller the next year, and he eventually painted all of the calendar scenes for their calendars up to 1942. Other artists were contracted to paint the artwork for the calendar during World War II, as the Pennsylvania was favoring more patriotic scenes.[7] Teller painted for the Pennsylvania once again after the war, starting with the 1947 calendar. The Osborne Company was sold to a competitor in 1953, eventually causing Teller to be laid off.[7] He continued to paint for the Pennsylvania as a freelancer, until the railroad discontinued full-size wall calendars in 1959.[8] His freelance work, which encompassed both railroad and non-railroad subjects, continued into the 1980s.

Teller's 1928 painting, When the Broadway Meets the Dawn, was used as the background for the "Preserve Our Heritage" special-fund license plate introduced in 1998 by PennDOT to help fund Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission programs, which receives $23 of the $55 fee for each of those license plates, which are still sold today.[9]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Obituary". The New York Times. April 11, 1993. p. 30.
  2. ^ Cupper & Murry (1992), p. 25.
  3. ^ Cupper & Murry (1992), p. 27.
  4. ^ Cupper & Murry (1992), p. 29.
  5. ^ Simmons, Rose. "Grif Teller, 93; Made His Railway Paintings Into 'A Work Of Art'", The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 10, 1993. Retrieved July 9, 2015. "Born in Newark, N.J., Mr. Teller lived most of his life in his home town and in Little Falls, N.J."
  6. ^ Cupper & Murry (1992), p. 30.
  7. ^ a b Cupper & Murry (1992), p. 34.
  8. ^ Many of his Pennsylvania paintings are reproduced in Alvin Staufer's book, "Pennsy Power: Steam and Electric Locomotives of the Pennsylvania Railroad, 1900–1957" (1962, Alvin F. Staufer).
  9. ^ "PennDOT page stating purpose of "railroad" license plate". Retrieved December 23, 2010.

Sources

[edit]
  • Cupper, Dan; Murry, Ken (1992). Crossroads of Commerce: The Pennsylvania Railroad Calendar Art of Grif Teller. Richmond, VT: Great Eastern Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9625-6021-7. OCLC 27779012.
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