James Ben Ali Haggin III (20 April 1882 – 2 September 1951) was an American

portrait painter Portrait Painting is a genre in painting, where the intent is to represent a specific human subject. The term 'portrait painting' can also describe the actual painted portrait. Portraitists may create their work by commission, for public and pr ...

and

stage designer Scenic design (also known as scenography, stage design, or set design) is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery. Scenic designers come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but in recent years, are mostly trained ...

Life

A grandson of the multi-millionaire

James Ben Ali Haggin James Ben Ali Haggin (December 9, 1822 – September 12, 1914) was an American attorney, rancher, investor, art collector, and a major owner and breeder in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing. Haggin made a fortune in the aftermath of the Cal ...

, he was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. After extensive education, he began exhibiting his paintings formally in 1903. The National Academy of Design awarded him the 1909 Third

Hallgarten Prize The Julius Hallgarten Prizes (defunct) were a trio of prestigious art prizes awarded by the National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samue ...

for his painting ''Elfrida''. A founding member of the National Association of Portrait Painters, he was elected an Associate member of the

National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the fin ...

from 1912. In the 1930s, Haggin turned his abilities to

stage design Scenic design (also known as scenography, stage design, or set design) is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery. Scenic designers come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but in recent years, are mostly trained ...

and created sets for the Metropolitan Opera Ballet and the

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' was a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934 and 1936. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as ''The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air ...

. Haggin's family were of partial

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

origin (one of his paternal great-grandfathers,

Ibrahim Ben Ali Ibrahim ben Ali ( tr, Ali oğlu İbrahim) or after baptism Ibraham Adam Ben Ali (1756–1800), was an Ottoman-Turkish soldier and physician who first drew notice as a convert-friend of the Dublin Methodist theologian Adam Clarke, and after spen ...

, was a Turkish immigrant). He married Margaret Faith Robinson on 4 November 1903 at the Church of the Transfiguration, New York. In 1914, several major events occurred in Haggin's life. He separated from his wife, and spent time in a sanitarium. His grandfather also died that year, and Haggin inherited a reputed $10 million from the estate. In 1916 he married Helen Roche, an actress and dancer who went by the stage name Bonnie Glass. Ben Ali Haggin - Portrait of Laurette Taylor.jpg, ''Portrait of

Laurette Taylor Laurette Taylor (born Loretta Helen Cooney; April 1, 1883Source Citation: Year: 1900; Census Place: Manhattan, New York, New York; Roll: 1119; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 859; FHL microfilm: 1241119. Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1900 Un ...

'' Ben Ali Haggin - En Crinoline.jpg, ''En Crinoline'', a portrait of

Rita Sacchetto Margherita "Rita" Sacchetto (15 January 1880 — 18 January 1959) was a German dancer, film actress, and screenwriter. Early life Margherita Sacchetto was born in Munich, in what was then the German Empire, on 15 January 1880. Her father was from ...

Ben Ali Haggin - America Answers.jpg, ''America Answers'', a photographic tableau featuring

Ethel Barrymore Ethel Barrymore (born Ethel Mae Blythe; August 15, 1879 – June 18, 1959) was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors. Barrymore was a stage, screen and radio actress whose career spanned six decades, and was regarde ...

James Ben Ali Haggin III and Helen Roche (1915).jpg, Ben Ali Haggin and Helen Roche (1915)

References

External links

*
Ben Ali Haggin Papers
held by the Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute, The Ohio State University Libraries. {{DEFAULTSORT:Haggin, Ben Ali III 20th-century American painters American male painters 1882 births 1951 deaths American people of Turkish descent Painters from New York (state) National Academy of Design associates 20th-century American male artists

Life

See also

References

External links