Carving a positive image

Students tell a story of South Jersey with block prints from 1932

By Rowan University

June 28^th, 2023

Accessible art

From Glassboro Normal School days through present Rowan times, students have carved designs into solid materials, usually wooden blocks or linoleum sheets mounted on wood, to make art called block prints or linocuts.

The easily acquired materials and method made it possible for students to compose and reproduce images long before cameras were widely available, so, instead of photographs, students’ linocuts often appeared in publications as visual storytelling and relief from large portions of text.

Deep in the archives

In June 1932, students created a special, limited-edition booklet of prints with a simple, handmade cover, 22 linocut scenes of South Jersey, a map, a brief history of Gloucester County and this project description:

“The linoleum block prints found in this booklet were designed and cut by members of the Freshmen Class of the Glassboro State Normal School under the guidance of Miss P.J. VanderMark, Art Instructor.

The Gloucester County Teachers’ Association will present a copy of this booklet to each delegate from Massachusetts and Hawaii attending the National Education Association meeting held in Atlantic City, New Jersey, June 1932.

The students' project demonstrated their eye for detail, appreciation of their surroundings and remarkable sophistication for novice artists. Shared publicly for the first time in 91 years, the narrative history uses terms and turns of phrase of the era—a lesson today on language, culture and education.

Many decades later, the prints and accompanying text below still offer perspective on what the future teachers thought was important enough to share with others.

Teaching Gloucester County history

“Gloucester County originally included Camden and Atlantic Counties. It was created in 1686 from a part of the land which Lord Berkeley, the original owner of West Jersey, had sold to John Fenwick and Edward Byllynge, two Quakers.”

Original People and early settlers

“At the time of the settlement, the Indians inhabiting New Jersey were known as the Lenni-Lennapes, meaning ‘Original People.’ They lived in small villages of wigwams. They hunted deer and turkey over the lands where our stucco and brick residences stand today; they fished in the lakes and rivers where our pleasure boats and commercial craft sail.

In 1625 Cornelius Mey, the Dutch Explorer, entered the Delaware Bay and explored both bay and river. He landed and built Fort Nassau at Sussacon on Big Creek at Swedesboro. They chose this spot because of the great possibilities they saw in the fertility of the Delaware Valley.”

Annoy the enemy at Red Bank

“During the American Revolution, Washington chose Red Bank as ‘the most advantageous place to annoy the enemy.’ Here Fort Mercer was constructed, and here it was that on October 22, 1777, Lieutenant-Colonel Christopher Greene, and a handful of men defeated two thousand Hessian soldiers. The Hessian commander, Count Donop, was mortally wounded during the battle and was carried to the Whitall Mansion and later to the Joseph Law Farm House, sites of historic interest today.

The Friends’ Meeting House, in Woodbury, built in 1716, was used as a hospital during this period. Two historic monuments commemorating the gallantry of Greene and the victory at Red Bank are situated in National Park at Red Bank. Twenty acres of land including the old mansion constitute this public park.”

See more about the 2022 discovery at Red Bank Battlefield at Rowan View and the Centennial timeline.

Ladd’s Castle

“Woodbury, the county seat, was settled in 1684 by John Wood, of Lancastershire, England. During the winter of 1777 it was briefly occupied by Cornwallis with and army of British troops and subsequently by the New Jersey Militia.

At 90 South Broad Street stands the Headquarters of the Gloucester County Historical Society, a house once owned by John Lawrence, brother of Captain James Lawrence of ‘Don't give up the ship’ fame.

The oldest house in the county is located on Princeton Avenue at Colonial Manor in Westville. It is Candor Hall or Ladd’s Castle, built by John Ladd senior, who purchased the property in 1688. It was Ladd who assisted in laying out Philadelphia, to William Penn’s satisfaction.”

Land of natural beauty

“Historically, Gloucester County is rich; but it is richer by far in its abundance of beauty spots—its famous peach and apple blossom areas, its lovely lakes, parks, cedar swamps, and its woodlands whose natural beauty is enhance by laurel and other native flora.”

Rural schools, modern architecture

“The county boasts of a splendid educational system. The buildings are new and modern in their architecture. They are located in the most desirable settings. Most of the rural schools are consolidated at advantageous points—Newfield, Gibbstown, Blackwood Terrace, Mantua and Aura.”

An educational center

“A New Jersey State Normal School is situated in Gloucester County in Glassboro. The school provides the southern part of New Jersey with an educational center for the professional training of teachers and for the continued training of teachers in service. Its system of consultative supervision reaches many of the teachers in the county.”