William Balfour Ker

William Balfour Ker (July 25, 1877 – October 20, 1918) also known simply as Balfour Ker, and sometimes written Balfour-Ker was a Canadian-American artist whose paintings appeared in popular magazines such as Life and The Delineator, and were widely reproduced in postcards and posters. A declared socialist, some of his most popular work depicts issues of class struggle and poverty. His work also appeared in advertisements for Liberty bonds and war savings stamps during World War I.

Early life

William Balfour Ker was born in Dunnville, Ontario, Canada on July 25, 1877. He had Scottish ancestry. His mother, Lily Florence Bell Ker, was first cousin of the inventor Alexander Graham Bell, and his father, William Ker, was a Scottish businessman and banker. The family moved to the United States in 1880, where Ker was later naturalised. and at age 18 studied law at George Washington University and began attending evening classes in illustration. and by December 1896 was studying art in Paris. He ended up as an artist in New York City.

From the depths (circa 1906) "a lavish social event in a large ballroom attended by the well-to-do; the party is disrupted when a fist erupts through the floor, beneath which are the struggling masses of the less fortunate who provide the foundation support on which the wealthy rest."

His political commitment to socialism was often reflected in his art. From the Depths was originally published in the 1906 book The Silent War by John Ames Mitchell.

Personal life

Ker was married twice. His first marriage was to Mary Ellen Sigsbee, a fellow socialist and a feminist, All three were artists and former students of Howard Pyle. and whose own daughter is actress Tuesday Weld (born Susan Ker Weld).

Ker died on October 20, 1918, in New York City, Ker is buried at Rock Creek Cemetery.

Works illustrated

Books illustrated by Ker include: