Dorothy Block

She was born in 1904 in Brooklyn, New York{{r|WPA}} to Joseph and Rebecca Block, who had both immigrated to the United States in 1888 and 1889, respectively, from Russia and together they ran an import business. They had three daughters, Ethel, Dorothy, and Lilian.{{citation | title=Dorothy Block, Brooklyn Ward 24, Kings, New York, New York | work=Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910. Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. | publisher= National Archives | location=Washington, D.C. }} Joseph Block had a financial interest and was vice president and general manager of the Franco Electric Company until 1921.{{cite book|title=Brooklyn|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rycwAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA770|date=July 22, 1922|page=5|chapter=Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce Bulletin (Volume 3, Number 45, July 22, 1922): Block Seeks New Connections}}{{efn|In 1922, Joseph Block's address was 1001 Ocean Avenue in Brooklyn.{{r|New connections}}}} He had a number of patents for decorative electric devices.{{cite web | url=http://www.google.ca/patents/US1783277 |title=Electrical decorative illuminating device US 1783277 A |publisher=Google patents| date=December 2, 1930 | accessdate=March 1, 2015 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.google.ca/patents/US1869321 |title=Decorative illuminating device US 1869321 A |publisher=Google patents| date=July 26, 1932 | accessdate=March 1, 2015 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.google.ca/patents/US1824942 |title=Electric display device US 1824942 A |publisher=Google patents| date=September 29, 1931 | accessdate=March 1, 2015 }} In 1920, the family lived in the Hotel Touraine in Brooklyn and Joseph was an executive with Electrical Corporation.{{citation | title=Dorothy Block, Brooklyn, Kings, New York, New York | work=Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. Records of the Bureau of the Census. | publisher= National Archives | location=Washington, D.C. }}{{cite news | url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1920/05/10/112660133.pdf | title=Marriage announcement: Dr. Daniel Leonard Golann and Ethel Block | newspaper=New York Times | date=May 10, 1920 | accessdate=March 1, 2015 }}File:Dorothy Block, Triptych - Jazz.jpg

Dorothy Josephine and Lilian Jeanette,{{r|Mary Baldwin}} who would both become artists,{{r|obit}} attended Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia. Both sisters were members of the Sky High Club.{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/stream/marybaldwincolle1923mary#page/n147/mode/2up | title=Mary Baldwin College Bluestocking | year=1923 | pages=81, 147 | accessdate=March 1, 2015 }}{{efn|Dorothy and Lilian lived at 1001 Ocean Avenue in Brooklyn, New York.{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/stream/marybaldwincolle1923mary#page/n147/mode/2up | title=Mary Baldwin College Bluestocking | year=1923 | page=147 | accessdate=March 1, 2015 }}}} Dorothy was a member of the school's art club.{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/stream/marybaldwincolle1923mary#page/n63/mode/2up | title=Mary Baldwin College Bluestocking | year=1923 | page=63 | accessdate=March 1, 2015 }} Dorothy and Lilian studied art under their maternal uncle, painter and sculptor Louis Keila.{{r|WPA}}{{r|Heller}} Dorothy studied under William von Schlegell{{r|WPA}} at the Art Students League of New York, which she attended between 1920 and 1930.{{cite web | url=http://www.theartstudentsleague.org/About/History/FormerStudents.aspx | title=Prominent Former Students of Art Students League | publisher=Art Students League of New York | accessdate=March 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150313162917/http://www.theartstudentsleague.org/About/History/FormerStudents.aspx| archive-date=2015-03-13 |url-status=dead }}{{r|Archives}} Block was a friend and correspondent of Brooklyn painter and printmaker Lena Gurr, who attended the Art Students League from 1920 to 1922.{{cite web | url=http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/lena-gurr-papers-8997/more | title=Lena Gurr Papers | publisher=Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution | accessdate=March 1, 2015 }}

She worked at Art Students League of New York and as part of the Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project,{{cite book|title=New York City WPA Art: Then 1934-1943 and ... Now 1960-1977|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gkhOAAAAYAAJ|year=1977|publisher=NYC WPA Artists}}{{r|Archives}} including having written Reminiscences of an Artist about the Federal Art Project.{{cite book|author=Archives of American Art|title=Government and art: a guide to sources in the Archives of American Art|year=1995|publisher=The Archives|isbn=978-1-880193-07-5|page=15}}

Blocked died on November 5, 1984, in her house.{{cite news|date=November 11, 1984|title=Block, Dorothy|newspaper=New York Times}} Her collected papers are stored in the Smithsonian Institution's Archives of American Art.{{cite web|title=Dorothy Block papers, 1920-1985|url=http://siris-archives.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profile=all&source=~!siarchives&uri=full=3100001~!208851~!0#focus|accessdate=March 1, 2015|publisher=Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution}} The Frick Art Reference Library also has a collection of archival information about her works and career, assembled by the Museum of Modern Art.{{cite book|author=Dorothy Block, Museum of Modern Art|title=Dorothy Block : artist file : study photographs and reproductions of works of art with accompanying documentation 1930?-1990|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/855492990|accessdate=March 1, 2015|publisher=Museum of Modern Art|location=New York, New York|oclc=855492990}}

Her sister{{r|obit}} and a student of Dorothy Blocks was artist, Lillian Block MacKendrick (1906–1987).{{cite book|author1=Jules Heller|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ReZkAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA2161|title=North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century: A Biographical Dictionary|author2=Nancy G. Heller|date=19 December 2013|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-135-63889-4|page=2161}}

Block was married to Robert Dublirer.{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/17/classified/paid-notice-deaths-dublirer-robert.html|title=Death notice: Robert Dublirer | newspaper=New York Times | date=December 17, 2003 | accessdate=March 1, 2015 }} She had a daughter, Dr. Johanna C. Fisher of Huntington Beach, New York{{r|obit}} who was the step-daughter of Robert Dublirer.{{r|Robert obit}} She was a friend of fellow artists Aristodimos Kaldis and Jacob Lawrence.{{r|Archives}}

• Beach Scene, painting{{cite web | url=http://siris-juleyphoto.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profile=all&source=~!sijuleyphotos&uri=full=3100001~!132631~!0#focus | title=Beach Scene| publisher=Smithsonian Institution Research Information System | accessdate=March 1, 2015 }}
• Isola, painting{{cite web | url=http://siris-juleyphoto.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profile=all&source=~!sijuleyphotos&uri=full=3100001~!132800~!0#focus | title=Isola| publisher=Smithsonian Institution Research Information System | accessdate=March 1, 2015 }}
• No title, sculpture{{cite web | url=http://siris-juleyphoto.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profile=all&source=~!sijuleyphotos&uri=full=3100001~!132802~!0#focus | title=No title, sculpture| publisher=Smithsonian Institution Research Information System | accessdate=March 1, 2015 }}
• Summer Interior, number 1, painting{{cite web | url=http://www.blouinartinfo.com/artist/369793/lots | title=Summer Interior, number 1 | publisher=Blouin Art Info | accessdate=March 1, 2015}}
• Terrace on Via Pontano, circa 1958, painting{{cite web | url=http://siris-juleyphoto.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profile=all&source=~!sijuleyphotos&uri=full=3100001~!132797~!0#focus|title=Terrace on Via Pontano | publisher=Smithsonian Institution Research Information System | accessdate=March 1, 2015 }}
• Triptych: Jazz, painting{{cite web | url=http://siris-juleyphoto.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profile=all&source=~!sijuleyphotos&uri=full=3100001~!132807~!0#focus|title=Triptych: Jazz | publisher=Smithsonian Institution Research Information System | accessdate=March 1, 2015 }}
• Vacation Scene, painting{{cite web | url=http://siris-juleyphoto.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profile=all&source=~!sijuleyphotos&uri=full=3100001~!132799~!0#focus|title= Vacation Scene| publisher=Smithsonian Institution Research Information System | accessdate=March 1, 2015 }}
• Vesuviana, circa 1955, painting{{cite web | url=http://siris-juleyphoto.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profile=all&source=~!sijuleyphotos&uri=full=3100001~!132806~!0#focus | title=Vesuviana| publisher=Smithsonian Institution Research Information System | accessdate=March 1, 2015 }}
• View from a Window, painting{{cite web | url=http://siris-juleyphoto.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profile=all&source=~!sijuleyphotos&uri=full=3100001~!132798~!0#focus | title=View from a Window | publisher=Smithsonian Institution Research Information System | accessdate=March 1, 2015 }}
• The Wanderers in Sheridan Square, painting{{cite web | url=http://siris-juleyphoto.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profile=all&source=~!sijuleyphotos&uri=full=3100001~!132630~!0#focus | title=The Wanderers in Sheridan Square| publisher=Smithsonian Institution Research Information System | accessdate=March 1, 2015 }}

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• {{cite book|author1=American Federation of Arts|author2=R.R. Bowker Company|title=Who's who in American art, 1973: a biographical directory|year=1973|publisher=Jaques Cattell Press/R.R. Bowker|isbn=978-0-8352-0611-2}}

• [https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/dorothy-block-papers-6726 Dorothy Block papers, 1920-1985], from Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution

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Category:1904 births

Category:1984 deaths

Category:Painters from New York (state)

Category:20th-century American painters

Category:20th-century American women painters

Category:Federal Art Project artists