Anton Otto Fischer
Fischer, an immigrant from Germany, used his nautical job experience to create authentic naval artwork. Successful as an illustrator of popular periodicals, such as The Saturday Evening Post, Fischer created photorealistic oil paintings that publishers intended for mass consumption. During World War II, Fischer intended his paintings, like most of the work in his oeuvre, for a broad American audience. Administrators of the United States Navy felt concerned about accuracy and educational value of imagery used in government propaganda and retained creative control, selecting artists, including Fischer, because of their ability to accurately represent all things related to the Navy. Eventually, Fischer’s work won him the title of Artist Laureate of the United States Coast Guard. He went on to record activities of the Merchant Marines and Coast Guard after he was sworn in as Lieutenant Commander. In 1947, after almost forty years of working in the art world, C. Scribner’s Sons published Fischer’s Foc’sle Days: A Story of my Youth, an illustrated book detailing the artist’s sailing experiences as a youth.
