William H. Lippincott

There are some of our Century colleagues whose departure from the scene takes with them something of what we had been accustomed to associate individually with the club. One of those men was William Henry Lippincott. Even now, when it is nearly a year since that tall and angular personality, with the half-inquiring glance over his glasses, was usually the first object in the reading room on which the eye would rest, it is not easy to look around the room without expecting to see him in his usual place.

Lippincott started his artistic career as he ended it, in the specialized work of scene-painting. He studied at Paris and Munich, and, after returning to America, painted portraits for a time. But work for the stage always drew him, and in that branch of art he was early recognized as among the best. His facility in such work was remarkable; it was shown most strikingly when, as often happened, he was called upon by theatrical managers to rush through in short order an important piece of work. For the Metropolitan Opera House, in the days when its management had learned to give particular attention to the scenic surroundings, Lippincott painted often. Salambo was one of the operas which was prepared for the public by his imaginative brush. Century members will recall not only the exhibition of models for theatrical scenes which he arranged at the Club, but his work in the artistic decorations of the last Twelfth Night celebration.

Alexander Dana Noyes
1921 Century Association Yearbook