Biography
Maud Humphrey (Bogart) (1868 – 1940) was one of the most popular American commercial illustrators of the Victorian Era. Her portrayals of well-dressed, cherubic, rosy-cheeked children appeared in calendars, greeting cards, fashion magazines, and a variety of other publications. In an era when women were rarely represented in the business world, Humphrey was earning far more than her physician husband. Later in life, she gained recognition as the mother of famed Hollywood actor, Humphrey Bogart.
Born in an elite neighborhood of Rochester, New York, Humphrey was the daughter of John Perkins Humphrey and Frances V. Dewey Churchill. She was very proud of her family’s social prominence and retained her maiden name throughout her career.[1] At the age of 12, Humphrey began studying art with a family friend, Reverend James H. Dennis, who had attended the National Academy of Design. By the age of 16, she was producing illustrations for children’s magazines; and in 1885 she went to New York City to enroll in classes at the Art Students League.[2] During this time, Humphrey entered greeting card competitions and accepted commissions for her work, including book illustrations. In 1888, she began working for a New York publisher, Frederick A. Stokes Company.
In spite of problems with her eyesight, which caused her to suffer from migraines, Humphrey was a prolific illustrator. She limited herself to five hours of sleep a night to enable her to keep up with her assignments. Her studio was always neat, and she was very disciplined, developing her own style of work wardrobe in grey and white with lavender or mauve accents, crisp smocks, and stylish shoes.[3]
In 1891, Humphrey went to the Julian Academy in Paris where she attended oil, watercolor, and illustration classes. It was there that she studied with James McNeil Whistler — an American artist who was primarily based in the United Kingdom. By 1893, Humphrey had developed a reputation as a children’s artist and her genre of art became known on Madison Avenue as the “Humphrey Baby.”[4] Humphrey’s art promoted many national brand products like Ivory Soap, Crossman Brothers Flower Seeds, Mellin Baby Food, Butterick Patterns, Equitable Insurance, Metropolitan Life Insurance, and Anheuser-Busch beer, among others. A sampling of the many books that feature her illustrations include: A Treasury of Stories, Jingles and Rhymes, Mother Goose, and Favorite Fairy Tales.
Humphrey married a heart and lung surgeon, Dr. Belmont Deforest Bogart, in 1898 and had three children—two daughters and a son who became the famous actor, Humphrey Bogart. It is said that she used her son as the model for advertisements for the Mellin Baby Food Company. Both Humphrey and her husband worked at home and had a household staff to support their lifestyle. By now, Humphrey was earning $50,000 a year, a bit more than her husband’s annual income of $20,000.[5]
The Bogart family’s finances, however, were adversely affected by the Great Depression, and also by Dr. Bogart’s failing health and subsequent dwindling medical practice. After the death of her husband, Humphrey was left with substantial debt from medical and hospital bills. She turned to her son for help. By then, Humphrey Bogart was a successful young Hollywood actor and could afford to move his mother to California where she lived for five years in an apartment on Sunset Boulevard at the Chateau Marmont. She adapted to her new surroundings and lifestyle which put her in the same social circles as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Laurence Olivier and other Hollywood celebrities.[6]
During her final years in California, Humphrey focused her creative talents on greeting cards. She died in 1940, at the age of 72 from pneumonia, a complication of cancer.
[1] Matter Jr., Dr. Donald T., “Maud Humphrey and Her Art.” Postcard History website, November 14, 2019. Accessed on December 28, 2020. https://postcardhistory.net/2019/11/maud-humphrey-and-her-art/
[2] Smith, Janet G., “Artist Biography & Facts, Maud (Bogart) Humphrey.” The askART website. Copyright April 2008. Accessed on January 1, 2021. https://www.askart.com/artist/Maud_Bogart_Humphrey/1135810/Maud_Bogart_Humphrey.aspx
[3] Ibid.
[4] Matter Jr., Dr. Donald T., “Maud Humphrey and Her Art.” Postcard History website, November 14, 2019. Accessed on December 28, 2020. https://postcardhistory.net/2019/11/maud-humphrey-and-her-art/
[5] Wikipedia’s entry on Maud Humphrey. Accessed December 28, 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maud_Humphrey
[6] Matter Jr., Dr. Donald T., “Maud Humphrey and Her Art.” Postcard History website, November 14, 2019. Accessed on December 28, 2020. https://postcardhistory.net/2019/11/maud-humphrey-and-her-art/
This artist's biography was written by Phyllis Geraghty, a writer with professional experience in the public relations, education, health, and non-profit sectors.
Illustrations by Maud Humphrey
Additional Resources
Bibliography
Choppa, Karen and Paul Humphrey. Maud Humphrey: Her Permanent Imprint on American Illustration. Atglen: Schiffer Pub., 1993.
Francis, Lawrence H. Recent American Art. Boston: Estes and Lauriat, 1891.
Humphrey, Maud. Maud Humphrey’s Book of Fairy Tales. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Co., 1892.
Tucker, Elizabeth S. and Maud Humphrey. Little Rosebuds. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Co., 1898.
