Humboldt, Charles, 1910-1964.

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Charles Humboldt: in 1934, assistant editor of New Masses; editor of the artists' union bulletin published by the WPA federal art project group; in late 1930s editor of Art Front; served in the U.S. Army on the Italian front during World War II; from 1946-1947 assistant public relations director for the Palestine Foundation Fund; in 1946 editor of Mainstream, which merged in 1947 with New Masses to become Masses and Mainstream; from 1948-1952 editor and publicist for Citadel Press; in 1953 editor of Translations; also a free-lance writer.

From the description of Charles Humboldt papers, 1935-1963 (inclusive). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 702168206

Charles Humboldt: in 1934, assistant editor of New Masses ; editor of the artists' union bulletin published by the WPA federal art project group; in late 1930s editor of Art Front ; served in the U.S. Army on the Italian front during World War II; from 1946-1947 assistant public relations director for the Palestine Foundation Fund; in 1946 editor of Mainstream, which merged in 1947 with New Masses to become Masses and Mainstream ; from 1948-1952 editor and publicist for Citadel Press; in 1953 editor of Translations ; also a free-lance writer.

Charles Humboldt (whose real name was Clarence Weinstock) was born in 1910 and raised in New York City. In 1925, at the age of fifteen, he left high school and travelled around the United States. Later that same year he went to Paris to study painting and there decided that his major interest was in the field of art criticism.

Humboldt returned from Europe in 1934 and became assistant editor of New Masses, and eventually editor of the artists' union bulletin published by the WPA federal art project group. During the late Thirties he was associate and then managing editor of Art Front, an art magazine written and published by artists. Contributors to this monthly publication included Picasso, Leger, Lurcat, Max Weber, Stuart Davis, Ben Shahn, Raphael and Moses Soyer, Jack Levine, Philip Evergood and Arshile Gorky.

During World War II, Charles Humboldt served in the U.S. Army on the Italian front. He began as a cryptographer but was transferred to Information and Education where he prepared bulletins and booklets on the progress of the war and on postwar perspectives.

After the war ended, Humboldt returned to the United States and from 1946 to 1947 was assistant public relations director for the Palestine Foundation Fund. He also became editor of the cultural quarterly Mainstream, which in 1947 merged with the New Masses and became known as Masses and Mainstream . In 1948 he joined Citadel Press as an editor and publicist, a position he held until 1952.

During a trip to Mexico in 1952-1953, Humboldt met the prominent mural painters Rivera, Siqueiros and Leopoldo Mendez. Influenced by his friendship with these artists, he began to work on an iconography of Mexican mural painting but ill health forced him to abandon the project.

Returning to New York, Humboldt became editor of Translations, a bureau serving leading publishers, corporations, and scientific institutions with translations of scientific and technical subjects, as well as literature and fine arts. In 1956 he turned to free lance writing, mainly in the medical field. Humboldt wrote for Scope Weekly and for the pharmaceutical firms of Smith, Kline and French and Purdue Frederick.

Since the end of World War II, Humboldt had been editing - at times single-handedly - the left-wing magazine Masses and Mainstream . In 1960 he left this quarterly and became book editor of the National Guardian, a position he held until his death on January 23, 1964.

From the guide to the Charles Humboldt papers, 1935-1963, (Manuscripts and Archives)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Humboldt, Charles, 1910-1964. Charles Humboldt papers, 1935-1963 (inclusive). Yale University Library
creatorOf Charles Humboldt papers, 1935-1963 Yale University. Department of Manuscripts and Archives
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Anderson, Edith. person
associatedWith Anderson, Edith. person
associatedWith Barnum, Thomas J. person
associatedWith Barnum, Thomas J. person
associatedWith Baxandall, Lee. person
associatedWith Baxandall, Lee. person
associatedWith Beeching, Jack. person
associatedWith Beeching, Jack. person
associatedWith Berger, John. person
associatedWith Bernal, John Desmond, 1901- person
associatedWith Bessie, Alvah Cecil, 1904- person
associatedWith Biberman, Herbert. person
associatedWith Biberman, Herbert. person
associatedWith Brand, Millen, 1906- person
associatedWith Brand, Millen, 1906- person
associatedWith Burnham, Louis E. person
associatedWith Burus, Emile. person
associatedWith Burus, Emile. person
associatedWith Cameron, Angus. person
associatedWith Cameron, Angus. person
associatedWith Cardona-Hine, Alvaro. person
associatedWith Castro, Fidel, 1926- person
associatedWith Ellison, Ralph. person
associatedWith Ellison, Ralph. person
associatedWith Fast, Howard, 1914-2003. person
associatedWith Hellman, Lillian, 1906- person
associatedWith Hellman, Lillian, 1906- person
associatedWith Hughes, Langston, 1902-1967. person
associatedWith Jouvenel, Renaud de. person
associatedWith Jouvenel, Renaud de. person
associatedWith Lardner, Ring, 1915- person
associatedWith Lardner, Ring, 1915-2000. person
associatedWith Lieber, Maxim. person
associatedWith Lowenfels, Walter, 1897- person
associatedWith Lowenfels, Walter, 1897- person
associatedWith Maltz, Albert, 1908- person
associatedWith Maltz, Albert, 1908-1985. person
associatedWith McGrath, Thomas, 1916-1990. person
associatedWith Nearing, Scott, 1883- person
associatedWith Nelson, Truman John, 1912- person
associatedWith O'Casey, Sean, 1880-1964. person
associatedWith Pauling, Linus, 1901- person
associatedWith Perlo, Victor. person
associatedWith Perlo, Victor. person
associatedWith Rabinowitz, Victor. person
associatedWith Rabinowitz, Victor. person
associatedWith Rubenstein, Annette Teta, 1910- person
associatedWith Stead, Christina, 1902- person
associatedWith Stevenson, Philip. person
associatedWith Stevenson, Philip. person
associatedWith Struik, Dirk Jan, 1894- person
associatedWith Trumbo, Dalton, 1905- person
associatedWith Trumbo, Dalton, 1905- person
associatedWith Tynan, Kenneth, 1927- person
associatedWith Tynan, Kenneth, 1927- person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Europe.
Soviet Union.
Europe
Soviet Union
Subject
Arts
Communism
Journalism
Radicalism
Socialism
Occupation
Editors
Activity

Person

Birth 1910

Death 1964

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