THIS WEBPAGE(S) IS AN ATTEMPT TO CREAT THE "BONES"
ON WHICH OTHERS MAY HANG ADDITONAL SUBSTANCE
ON THIS NOTABLE BUT FORGOTTEN WRITER-CRITIC OF THE
FIRST HALF OF THE 20TH C.
 IN  1905, AS REGISTERED ON HIS SHIP'S MANIFEST FROM LIVERPOOL , ENGLAND AT AGE 15, 11 MONTHS,  HE LISTED "SCHOLAR" AS "CALLING OR OCCUPATION".   A POSSIBLE CLUE TO HIS BACKGROUND, AND TO HIS FUTURE.  HE AND HIS BROTHER TRAVELLED "STEERAGE". WILLIAM WAS ALSO LISTED AS "PARALYZED". LATER DESCRIPTIONS LISTED HIM AS BEING PARALYZED ON HIS RIGHT SIDE. AN APPARENT BIRTH OR JUVENILE AFFLICTION.
TRAVELLING WITH HIS YOUNGER  BROTHER CECIL,  THE TWO WERE COMING FROM BUCKINGHAM, ENGLAND TO MEET THEIR FATHER, WILLIAM FISHER WHO RESIDED IN NYC. ON THE SHIP'S MANIFEST EACH STATED THEY HAD $10.00.

YOUNG WILLLIAM'S MIDDLE NAME - MURRELL - WAS HIS MOTHER'S MAIDEN NAME UNDER WHICH HE OFTEN WROTE AS WILLIAM MURRELL", BUT ALSO UNDER WILLIAM M. FISHER,

AND WILLIAM MURRELL FISHER.

WILLIAM MURRELL FISHER (1889-1969)
THE BONES OF A FORGOTTEN SCHOLAR
by Thomas Yanul
APRIL 2008
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COPY AND USE AS NEEDED
(except photo which is proprietary to the Belcher family)

THE BACKSTORY
MY QUEST TO LEARN ABOUT WILLIAM FISHER BEGAN IN 1963 WHILE GOING THROUGH THE PERSONAL PAPERS OF THE LATE ARTIST FELIX RUSSMAN (1888-1962). AMONG THE BOXES WAS A LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION FROM WILLIAM MURRELL FISHER ON METROPOLITAN  MUSEUM OF ART STATIONARY. THERE WAS NO DATE. MANY HOURS OF THEN VERY EXPENSIVE LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONE CALLS PROVED FRUITLESS.
A FEW MONTHS AGO, GOING THROUGH OLD RUSSMANN FILES, I AGAIN CAME ACROSS THE FISHER LETTER.  ALMOST 50 YEARS LATER IT IS NOW EASIER AND CHEAPER AND QUICKER TO SEARCH THE WORLD. AND FISHER COMES THROUGH AS MANY ARTICLES, CRITICISMS AND COMMENTS ON EARLY 20TH C WRITERS, POETS AND ARTISTS. BUT NOTHING  THAT SPEAKS TO FISHER HIMSELF, ONLY HIS WORKS.  
SO THESE PAGES ARE AN ATTEMPT TO PULL TOGETHER THE "BONES" OF HIS LIFE'S WORK IN ONE PLACE WHERE OPEFULLY, OTHERS WILL ADD TO THIS TALENTED BUT OBSCURE HISTORICAL FIGURE IN THE WORLD OF ARTS AND LETTERS.

"A POET"

THE TITLE - UNKNOWN IF MEANT LITERALLY OR FIGURATIVELY.
PAINTING OF FISHER BY HILDA BELCHER CA.1915 PHOTO PROPERTY OF BELCHER FAMILY. ORIGINAL PHOTO BY JULEY
PAINTING EXHIBITED INDEPENDANTS 1916 (NYC) NATIONAL ASSOC. WOMEN PAINTERS-1918
IMAGE COURTESY STEPHEN & CHRIS BELCHER
A BRIEF CHRONOLGY
 1889 -BORN - FEBRUARY 18, 1889 - ENGLAND
    FATHER - WILLIAM S. FISHER
    MOTHER -  EVA MURRELL
     BOTH BORN ENGLAND
1905 - IMMIGRATES TO UNITED STATES
           LEAVES PORT OF LIVERPOOL,  JAN 25,
           TRAVELS ABOARD S.S. TEUTONIC.
           ARRRIVES PORT OF NYC FEB. 2nd, 1905
           AGE 15, & 11 MOS.  WITH BROTHER CECIL,
           AGE 13, 3 MOS.  
           FATHER PAYS PASSAGE, PARENTS ALREADY
           IN NYC.  AT 1482 avenue A
           NOTE: WILLIAM LISTS OCCUPATION AS SCHOLAR !
1908 - BECOMES NATURALIZED CITIZEN EMPLOYED (CLERK) METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NYC NO DATE OR RECORDS, BUT LIKELY BY 1906-07 SINCE TWO ARTISTS WHO WERE ATTENDING THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF DESIGN KNEW HIM WORKING AT THE MET WHEN THEY WERE STUDENTS DOING COPYING WORK.  FISHER TOOK CARE OF ART STUDENT'S LOCKERS.   [MY INTERVIEW 1960'S WITH ARTIST
         CLAUDE BUCK WHO REMEMBERED FISHER]
1913 - WRITES ABOUT ARMORY SHOW OF 1913
  • ARTS &  DECORATION - ISSUE 3, 1913

1915 - VISITS WITH MARGUERITE & BILL ZORACH

  • IN CHAPPAQUA, NY - ALONG WITH MANY OTHER ARTISTS,  WRITERS.  ARTIST FELIX RUSSMANN STAYS THE SUMMER  WITH SOON -TO- BE  WIFE, HELEN MONTGOMERY, A  FRIEND OF THE ZORACHS FROM NYC AND PARENTS AMILY FRIENDS FROM CLEVELAND. [ LETTER TO ME FROM MARGUERITE ZORACH 1960'S].  FISHER MAY HAVE BECOME ACQUANTED WITH ZORACHS BECAUSE OF HIS WRITING ABOUT THE ARMORY WHERE BOTH EXHIBITED.  CONJECTURE ON MY PART.
1917 - SEEMS TO HAVE SETTLED IN WOODSTOCK, NY.

            AUTHORS SEVERAL ARTICLES FOR THE "PLOWSHARES"

            INCLUDING PIVOTAL PIECE ON SAMUE GREENBERG,
            THE SHORT LIVED POET.
            APPEARS TO HAVE KEPT NEW YORK CITY CONNECTIONS
            BY TRAVEL BACK AND FORTH.
            APPARENTLY CURATOR FOR THE WOODSTOCK  ART
             ASSOCIATION ( MORE ON THIS MATTER COMING)
          
1917-18 MILITARY DRAFT REGISTRATION - TALL,, SLENDER, BLUE
               EYES, BROWN HAIR. PARALYZED R/SIDE. SINGLE.
               STILL EMPLOYED METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NYC.
               BUT PENSIONED FOR HEALTH REASONS.

1923 -  GETS PASSPORT, TRAVELS TO GERMANY APR 4TH
            ABOARD SEYDLITZ - WHICH TRAVELS TO BREMERHAVEN.
            REASON "BUSINESS & TRAVEL". UNKNOWN DATE OF RETURN.
            ACCORDING TO LETTERS JUST RECEIVED FROM ARCHIVES
            OF AMERICAN ART - TO ARTIST BEN BENN, FISHER WAS IN
            BERLIN, LEIPSIC & MUNICH  TO FIND PRINTER FOR MONOGRAPH
            ON BEN BENN'S WORK. ALL VERY EXPENSIVE HE STATES. FISHER
             IS OBVIOUSLY CLOSE FRIEND OF BEN AND WIFE VALIDA.

1935 -  POSSIBLY STAYS IN WOODSTOCK UNTIL 1935 WHEN HE
            FIRST SHOWS LIVING IN MILFORD, CT.  

1935-36      TAKES UP PERMANENT RESIDENCE IN MILFORD, CT.
 TO 1969     462 ORONOQUE RD. (EARLIER SIMPLY GREATWOODS-
                   ORONQUA RD, N.H.) CURRENT 3RD GEN FARM OWNER KNEW
                   FISHER AND IS ANSWERING SOME MUCH NEEDED INFO
                   PLUS PHOTOS - WILL BE ADDED SOON.

1942    DRAFT REGISTRATION CARD - LISTS MILFORD, CT
            AS HOME, BUT TEMPORARY LODGINGS AT THE
            ROGER WILLIAMS HOTEL, MIDTOWN MANHATTAN
            LISTS MRS JEAN FISHER FOR CONTACT IN MILFORD.
             WINTERS IN NYC, TO MILFORD FOR SUMMERS.
 1961   FISHER'S WIFE DIES, 1961.  WILL DENOTES EVERYTHING
         GOES TO WILLIAM, OR TO HER SISTER IN NEW YORK CITY,
          HELEN A. DEUTSCH, A KINDERGARTEN TEACHER, NYC.
        
1969 -  DIES IN NEW HAVEN HOSPITAL 12-7-69, OF LYMPHOBLASTIC LYMPHOMA.  UNDER DOCTORS CARE FOR SIX MONTHS, FISHER PROVIDES INFORMATION FOR HIS DEATH CERTIFICATE.  HE IS WIDOWER AT TIME OF DEATH, WIFE WAS     GERTRUDE JEAN DEUTSCH.  FISHER WAS CREMATED, HIS ASHES SCATTERED IN LONG ISLAND SOUND. HIS LAST WILL & TEST. MADE 1949, LEAVES TO HIS WIFE,  OR TO HER SISTER IN THE EVENT THAT WIFE DIES FIRST.  NOT APPARENT THAT ANY OTHER RELATIVES ARE LIVING,   AND NO MENTION OF BROTHER CECIL THOUGH CECIL VISITS ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS.

GOAL

FOR SOMEONE TO DO ADDITIONAL RESEARCH
AND MAKE EDUCATED COMMENTS ABOUT THIS
WRITER/CRITIC TO RECORD HIS WORTH TO THE
 HISTORY OF AMERICAN ARTS & LETTERS.
POSSIBLY A MASTER'S THESIS OR ?

SOME INTERESTING REFERENCES

[ BACON INTERVIEW 1973]
BROOK INT. 1977]
THERE ARE PARTS OF TWO ARCHIVES OF AMERICAN ART RECORDED TRANSCRIPTIONS THAT CONTAIN
MENTIONS OF WILLIAM FISHER - ONE IS PEGGY BACON [ THIS PART], THE OTHER HER HUSBAND , ALEXANDER BROOK -.  BACON STATED:  "HE WAS AN ENGLISHMAN WHO CAME TO THIS COUNTRY, OH, I DON'T
KNOW WHEN. HE LIVED IN WOODSTOCK. WHEN ALEX AND I WERE STUDENTS THERE, WE GOT
TO KNOW HIM AND A GREAT FRIEND OF HIS, HAROLD WARD. OH, I REMEMBER-BILL FISHER HAD BEEN A CUSTODIAN OF PAINTINGS AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM. HE WORKED DOWN IN THE BASEMENT. HE HAD CONTRACTED TB AND WAS NOT GIVEN LONG TO LIVE.  HE WAS TOLD THAT HE MUST GET OUT OF THE CITY AND LIVE IN THE MOUNTAINS, SO HE WENT UP TO WOODSTOCK.
THE MET GAVE HIM SOME MUNIFICENT SUM OF ...HE'D BEEN WORKING FOR THEM FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS AND THEY GAVE HIM SOME TERRIFIC SOME LIKE TWENTY DOLLARS A MONTH PENSION, SOMETHING VERY GENEROUS.  FOR A DYING PERSON FOR ALL HIS LIFE THINKING THAT HE HAD ONLY TWO YEARS TO LIVE, YOU SEE.  OTHERWISE THEY PROBABLY WOULDN'T....WELL, ANYWAY, HE LIVED AND LIVED AND LIVED. I THINK HE DIED TWO YEARS AGO. BUT WHEN WE WERE IN WOODSTOCK IN 1919 WE GOT TO KNOW BILL FISHER. HE BROUGHT OUT TWO LITTLE ART BOOKS IN THE AMERICAN ARTISTS SERIES. OH, HE BROUGHT OUT MORE THAN THAN THAT. HE BROUGHT OUT ONE ON ALEX [BROOKS]  ONE ON KUNIYOSHI, AND ON VARIOUS YOUNG ARTISTS. HE BROUGHT OUT ONE ON ME BUT I HAVEN'T GOT A COPY. HE WAS A DELIGHTFUL PERSON, VERY AMUSING, QUITE WITTY. BUT I THIINK HE WAS ONE OF THOSE WRITERS THAT EXPEND THEMSELVES IN CONVERSATION. HE JUST NEVER PRODUCED ANYTHING. HE NEVER FINISHED ANYTHING. HE DID FINALLY WROTE ONE LITTLE BOOK THAT GOT INTO PRINT. IT WAS CALLED THE HISTORY OF TOADYISM. IT WAS A BIT OF THING. AFTER THAT HE WAS ALWAYS WORKING SOMETHING, ON SOME BOOK, BUT IT NEVER TRANSPIRED UNTIL THE WHITENY MUSEUM CAME ALONG AND GAVE HIM THE JOB OF COLLECTING WRITING ABOUT THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN CAROONS AND CARICATURE.  AND THAT CAME OUT IN TWO VOLUMES. REALLY ITS VERY LITTLE MORE THAN A CATALOGUE. BUT IT HAD ALL THESE REPRODUCTIONS AND WAS QUITE WELL BROUGHT OUT.

BROOK INTERVIEW -1977

REGARDING COPYING AT THE MET - "IN THOSE DAYS YOU HAD TO TAKE YOUR COPY DOWN TO THE BASEMENT AND HAVE IT CHECKED IN.  AND DOWN THERE WAS A MAN BY THE NAME OF WILLIAM FISHER, A TALL BEARDED MAN TEN YEARS OLDER THAN I, HE WAS A SPASTIC. HE AND I BECAME FRIENDS, I DISCOVERED THAT HE WAS A VERY, VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE MAN. HE DIED NOT TOO LONG AGO.  I FORGET WHERE HE LIVED [IN NYC]  BUT I HAD BEEN THERE MANY TIMES. I THOUGHT HE LIVED IN GUILFORD, CT., AND AFTER I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY YEARS, BY THE MEREST ACCIDENT A MUTUAL FRIEND LIVING IN CALIFORNIA WROTE ME AND HE SAID I OCCASIONALLY HEAR FROM BILL FISHER IN MILFORD, CT. YOU SEE, I HAD GOTTEN THE NAMES OF THE TOWNS MIXED UP, THEY ARE CLOSE TO EACH OTHER.. SO I LOOKED HIM UP AND WE TOOK UP OUR FRIENDSHIP WHERE WE LEFT OFF. IT WAS A VERY THRILLING EXPERIENCE. WE ENJOYED THIS FOR ABOUT TEN YEARS BEFORE HE DIED.  A MAN GAVE HIM A HOUSE IN WOODSTOCK TO LIVE, THAT WAS 1917.  HE INVITED ME TO COME AND STAY WITH HIM AND I DID. THEN HE GOT MARRIED. HE WROTE  UNDER THE NAME WILLIAM MURRELL.