William Weeks Hall

William Weeks Hall[1] (1894–1958), was an American artist, photographer and art critic.[1] He was the last individual owner of the Shadows-on-the-Teche, a historic house and former sugar cane plantation.

William Weeks Hall
Born(1895-10-31)October 31, 1895
Orleans Parish, Louisiana, U.S.
DiedJune 27, 1958(1958-06-27) (aged 63)
Louisiana, U.S.
EducationPennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Parents
  • Gilbert Lewis Hall (father)
  • Mary "Lily" Weeks (mother)
Shadows-on the-Teche plantation (1938), New Iberia, Louisiana

Biography

William Weeks Hall was born in October 31, 1894 in Orleans Parish; to parents Gilbert Lewis Hall and Mary "Lily" Weeks.[1][2] His maternal grandparents David and Mary Conrad Weeks had built the Shadows-on-the-Teche plantation in 1834.

Hall attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA).[3] Around 1917, Hall won a scholarship through PAFA to travel to Europe.[4] His early paintings were abstract.[3] He lived in Paris for a few years after college.[3] During World War I (1914–1918), Hall served in the Office of Naval Intelligence.[3]

In 1920, Hall returned to New Iberia and in 1922 he started to restore the Shadows-on-the-Teche.[3][5] He had many notable guests and friends in the arts that would come visit him in New Iberia including D. W. Griffith,[6] Henry Miller,[7][8] Cecil B. DeMille,[8] among others. A New Iberian local musician Al E. Dieudonne dedicated his song, "Shadows-on-the-Teche" to Hall in 1930.[9]

In 1927, Hall was a charter member of the New Orleans Art League.[10] He injured his arm in 1937, and was forced to give up painting, and around this time he started to focus more on photography.[3]

Death and legacy

Hall died on June 27, 1958, and was initially buried at the Rose Hill Cemetery.[3] In 1961, his body was moved to the family plot at Shadows-on-the-Teche cemetery.[3] He never married.[1] Hall left the Shadows-on-the-Teche to the National Trust for Historic Preservation after his death.[11]

Hall's art work is including in public museum collections at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.[12] In Henry Miller's book, The Air-Conditioned Nightmare (1945), includes information about his time in New Iberia and Hall is quoted (page 97).[13]

References
  1. "Weeks Hall Rites Held In Iberia". Newspapers.com. The Crowley Post-Signal. June 28, 1958. p. 2. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  2. "William Weeks Hall in the New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., Birth Records Index, 1790-1915". Ancestry.com. State of Louisiana, Secretary of State, Division of Archives, Records Management, and History. Vital Records Indices. Baton Rouge, LA. October 31, 1894.
  3. "William Weeks Hall Has A Final Resting Place At The Shadows". Newspapers.com. The Daily Advertiser. June 27, 1961. p. 9. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  4. "Art Scholarship". Newspapers.com. The Morning News. May 28, 1917. p. 3. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  5. Smith, George Everard Kidder (1996). Source Book of American Architecture: 500 Notable Buildings from the 10th Century to the Present. Princeton Architectural Press. p. 178. ISBN 978-1-56898-025-6.
  6. "D. W. Griffith Films "The White Rose" At New Iberia". Newspapers.com. Abbeville Meridional. February 24, 1923. p. 4. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  7. Warren, Mark (July 28, 2009). "Acadiana: The Most Un-American Place in America". Esquire. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  8. "Shadows-on-the-Teche - New Iberia LA". AAA.com. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  9. "New Iberia Man Has Song Published". Newspapers.com. The Eunice News. October 3, 1930. p. 4. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  10. "New Orleans Art League". 64 Parishes. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  11. Griffin, Bob (August 4, 1978). "Let's Talk Travel, From New Iberia to New York". Newspapers.com. The Shreveport Journal. p. 10. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  12. "Museum collection". Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA). Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  13. Donnelly, Jessica Foy (2002). Interpreting Historic House Museums. Rowman Altamira. p. 309. ISBN 978-0-7591-0251-4.
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