A Guide to the Corporal Frank D. Duncan, Jr., Watercolors

Biographical Note

Frank Duncan was born in Chicago in 1916. He later moved to New York where he developed an interest in painting. For six years Duncan studied at the Yale School of Fine Arts, winning a number of awards for his paintings. After graduating from Yale he was drafted into the U.S. Army but was able to continue to paint as a soldier, working on murals and other projects at Fort Bragg. In 1942-43 Duncan was deployed to North Africa with the 36th Infantry Division. He continued to paint from his outposts, documenting the surrounding landscape and everyday life in the army camps.

Scope and Contents

A group of thirty-seven watercolors depicting life in and around U.S. Army positions in North Africa during World War II. Some of the paintings include the artist's handwritten descriptions on the back. Also included is a letter from war artist Edward Reep, describing Frank Duncan's work during the war.

Related Material

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Corporal Frank D. Duncan, Jr., Watercolors, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

Detailed Description of the Papers