Major Murphy is a fascinating subject who provides a unique perspective from his time in the Pacific during WWII. Researching Murphy through his art and numerous war-time letters to his Mother gave me a glimpse into the lived reality of an unusual American solider-artist.
John Cullen Murphy was an American soldier-artist during WWII who served in the Pacific theater. He was trained as a professional artist before the war and his artistic skills were immediately recognized once he joined the Army. Murphy was in the Army for 5 years, from January 1941 into the occupation of Japan in 1945/1946. In 1943 he was sent to the Pacific and was effectively the “Court Artist” for General MacArthur’s staff. He sketched and painted American, Australian, and British Generals, other officers, and enlisted troops. Murphy also painted and/or drew everything else he experienced both state-side and in Australia, New Guinea, the Philippine’s, and Japan.
In 1994 John Cullen Murphy donated about 100 works of art to the Anne S.K. Brown Military Collection as part of the then Curator’s efforts to solicit American WWII art to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the war’s end. At my 30th high school reunion in 2012 I serendipitously learned of Murphy’s war letters from his daughter who is married to a high school classmate. The family subsequently donated JC Murphy’s letters to Brown University to complement the earlier art gift. The combination of art and letters provides important primary source material for current and future generations. About 1,000 letters were donated to the Anne S.K. Brown Military Collection in 2013. Murphy’s prolific letter collection is unique for several reasons:
Volume: Murphy wrote letters to his Mother every two or three days over the course of 5 years. This massive volume of WWII letters is one of the largest known collections.
Intact: The letter collection has remained intact more than 75 years after the war ended.
Perspective: Murphy had a unique and holistic perspective first as an enlisted soldier than as an officer. He joined the Army before the war started in early 1941 and served in multiple US and overseas locations into 1946. His Pacific service was in MacArthur’s HQ orbit which gave him an atypical view of the conflict.
The letters were scanned so both the Murphy family and the Anne S.K. Brown Military Collection have a digital copy.
Reading Murphy’s letters was literally a trip into a time capsule. His narrative and keen insights transported me back to those dramatic war years. Given the frequency of Murphy’s letters, there is a running narrative from one letter to the next on a range of topics, almost like a diary. It was clear that Murphy knew the war was something of major historical importance and he strived to capture these monumental events in his art and letters. In addition to Murphy chronicling his war experience, I observed an artist coming of age. He was constantly drawing or painting and regularly reflecting on his growth as an artist. My Murphy talk summarizes the major themes in his letters and highlights the range of his impressive art in the Anne S.K. Brown Military Collection.
Comments