“Portraiture Returned to the Fine Arts”

A prominent figure in the Bahr Family Collection is Raymond Creekmore, a close family friend of the Bahrs. “Creeky,” as he was fondly called, was an artist, an author and illustrator of children’s books, and a yacht designer. All aspects of his life are represented in this collection. The Bahr family kept his letters, various invitations, and newspaper clippings. Included in the collection are photocopies of some of his published books, as well as magazine clippings of the boats Creekmore designed. There are also some pictures of Creekmore and his family.

More generally, the Bahrs collected various clippings of local artists. There is a particular interest in the results of The Evening Sun’s Annual Black-and-White Sketch Competition, in which several rising artists often won or received honorable mentions. These newspaper clippings document both the artists and styles popular in Baltimore during the 1930’s and the 1940’s. Other materials in the collection represent the Bahr family’s interest in their community and the arts at large.