William R. Hollingsworth Jr.

William R. Hollingsworth Jr.
Born	February 17, 1910 Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.
Died	August 1, 1944 (1944-09) (aged 34) Jackson, Mississippi
Education	University of Mississippi Chicago Art Institute
Occupation	Painter
Spouse	Jane Oakley
Children	1

William R. Hollingsworth Jr. (February 17, 1910 – August 1, 1944) was an American watercolor and oil painter from the state of Mississippi. He died by suicide at age 34.

Early life

William R. Hollingsworth Jr. was born on February 17, 1910, in Jackson, Mississippi. He attended the University of Mississippi for two years and then transferred to the Chicago Art Institute, graduating in 1934.

Career

Hollingsworth returned to Jackson, Mississippi after failing to find work in Chicago during the Great Depression. He worked for the Federal Emergency Relief Administration during the day and painted at night. In 1942, during the Second World War, he tried to enlist in the United States Navy, but his application was rejected due to "poor eyesight" within two weeks.

Hollingsworth specialized in oil paintings and watercolors. Many of his paintings depicted the lives of African-Americans in West Jackson during segregation. He won prizes from the Chicago Arts Club, the Southern States Art League and the National Watercolor Society.

Personal life, death and legacy

Hollingsworth married Jane Oakley, and they had a son, Billy. He committed suicide by gunshot on August 1, 1944, in Jackson, Mississippi, aged 34. Eudora Welty wrote a book about him, published posthumously in 2002. Some of his paintings can be seen at the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson, Mississippi.

Further reading

• Hollingsworth, William R. Jr. (1981). Hollingsworth, Jane (ed.). Hollingsworth: The Man, The Artist, and His Work. Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9780878051380.
• Welty, Eudora (2002). On William Hollingsworth. Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781578064878. OCLC 49902483.
• Gruber, J. Richard (2012). Dietrick, Robin C. (ed.). To Paint and Pray: The Art and Life of William R. Hollingsworth, Jr. Jackson, Mississippi: Mississippi Museum of Art. ISBN 9781887422215. OCLC 798221655.