Description
Moshe Davis was an American rabbi and scholar of American Jewish history. Over a career spanning several decades, he established the field of America—Holy Land Studies and academic programs and institutes to advance scholarship in that area. According to a book of essays published in his memory, this map pointed the way to his new field. Davis was born in Brooklyn and educated at the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) affiliated with the Conservative branch of Judaism, where he completed rabbinical studies, and at Hebrew University in Israel, where he was the first American Jew to receive a Ph.D. He served as a dean at JTS from 1945 and as provost from 1950 to 1959. He established an American Jewish History Center at JTS, and played a major role in the development of the JTS radio and television programs to reach the broader public (the “Eternal Light” and “Frontiers of Faith”). He also played a role in founding the Hebrew Arts Foundation and Jewish summer camps. In 1959 Davis immigrated to Israel and created the Institute of Contemporary Jewry at Hebrew University. He is viewed today as a preeminent scholar of contemporary Jewish history; he had a lasting impact on the field not only through his writings, but as a mentor to educators and academics in Israel and North America and an active colleague of American Christian scholars involved in interfaith study. His wife, Lottie Davis, who collaborated on this map, worked closely with him.
Charles Harper, better known as “Charley,” was a Cincinnati-based American artist, known for his silkscreen prints and illustrations, especially of wildlife subjects. He had a distinctive stylized approach influenced by Modernism. “Wildlife art has been dominated by realism,” he observed, but I have chosen to do it differently.” His colorful graphic style remains popular: his prints are sought-after collectibles and Beguiled by the Wild: The Art of Charley Harper, a 1994 book illustrated with 100 of his serigraphs, was reissued in 2016. He is also the subject of a biography for young adult readers published in 2018. Harper grew up in rural West Virginia and graduated from the Cincinnati Art Academy in 1947. He worked as an advertising illustrator, which led to steady work writing and illustrating for Ford Times magazine, a monthly travel magazine produced by Ford Motor Company. He also illustrated The Golden Book of Biology, Betty Crocker’s Dinner for Two cookbook, and posters and graphics for the National Park Service, Cincinnati Zoo and Michigan Audubon Society.
Full publication information: Published by Associated American Artists, New York 22, NY
Condition: Generally fine overall, rolled and apparently never framed or hung, thus with only slight wear and aging. Currently “trained” as rolled, can be professionally flattened at slight additional cost to Purchaser upon request.
References:
“About Charley.” CharleyHarper.com. 2012-2020. https://www.charleyharper.com/about-charley/about-charley.html (27 February 2020).
Brown, Michael. “Moshe Davis and the New Field of America-Holy Land Studies.” America and Zion: Essays and Papers in Memory of Moshe Davis. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2002. pp. 40-45. Online at Google Books: https://books.google.com/books?id=Ron5OE5xZlMC&pg=PA45 (27 February 2020).
Feagler, Linda. “The Art of Charley Harper.” Ohio Magazine. August 2016. https://www.ohiomagazine.com/arts/article/the-art-of-charley-harper (27 February 2020).
“Moshe Davis.” Wikipedia. 27 November 2018. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshe_Davis (27 February 2020).
Wertheimer, Jack. “Necrology: Professor Moshe Davis.” American Jewish History. Vol. 84 No. 3, 1996. p. 267-269. Project MUSE. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/407 (27 February 2020).