Charles R Capon

Charles R. Capon (1884-1954) Toronto, Canada. He initially planned to become a lawyer but after nine months in law school, he chose instead to become an artist and enrolled at the Ontario Academy of Design. He than worked for several years as a graphic artist for various printers and advertising firms. By May 1914, he was sufficiently successful that his work was featured in The Graphic Arts magazine (Boston), in a selection described as “the work of designers and illustrators who are doing fine work in the graphic arts field.” In 1915, he studied at the Eric Pape School of Art in Boston. Two years later, he became the art director at the Amsden Studio in Cleveland. During WW 1, he worked as a ship camouflage artist, probably as a civilian and most likely in connection with the Emergency Fleet Corporation. In 1918, he was a member of The American Society of Marine Camoufleurs. Following the war, Capon established a studio in Boston. For many years, in addition to working for major advertising clients, he became well-known for his commissioned bookplate designs Among his most striking artworks is a Map of Old Boston that he designed in 1929 for the Boston Five Cents Savings Bank; a thistle-themed cover for the 1938 Strathmore Handbook for the Strathmore Paper Company; and an illustration of a new building on campus for the cover of the 1950 Bowdoin College Bulletin.