Louis James Nolan, Jr. (28 June 1926 Washington, D.C. – 24 October 2008 McLean, Virginia) was an American artist who, among other things, designed several United States Navy recruiting posters and, from 1985 through 2007, illustrated about twenty-five USPS stamps. In Navy literature, he is sometimes incorrectly credited as Lloyd Nolan. Nolan also created designs for NASA, the Smithsonian Institution, the other branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, and several federal agencies. His work was honored by the Art Directors Club of New York and Print magazine. He won gold and silver medals from the Art Directors Club of Metropolitan Washington.
Career Nolan graduated from St. John's College High School, Washington, D.C., in 1944. He went on to serve in the U.S. Navy from March 11, 1945, to March 31, 1946. Beginning June 27, 1945, he served aboard the USS Savo Island. Nolan studied fine art at the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design in Washington, D.C., and graduated from New York's Parsons School of Design in 1952. He worked as a book designer and illustrator in New York, then returned to Washington to begin a freelance career. Nolan had been working for Creative Arts Studio, Inc., in Washington, D.C., when, in February 1964, in Georgetown, he and two other employees – Bill Duffy and Elmo James White, Jr. (1936–2020) – founded Nolan, Duffy & White, Inc. (ND&W), a commercial art firm. The Navy was the firm's primary client. Around 1971, the firm merged into the predecessor of White64 (E. James White Company → White+Partners, etc.), founded by White. After about ten years, Nolan and Duffy went out on their own. Nolan founded Nolan and Associates, Duffy became a freelance artist. In the 1960s, Nolan illustrated for The National Guardsman, and, in January 1965, was credited as its Art Director. Nolan retired in 1995. He died thirteen years later, October 24, 2008, at his home in McClean.
Selected work
Book, magazine, and pamphlet illustrations
Posters
U.S. Navy recruiting posters
U.S. Air Force recruiting poster
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NASA
United States Postage Stamps Nolan designed many stamp products for the U.S. Postal Service® and more than a dozen stamps, including the first five in the American Design series that began in 2002. Some of these stamps have been reprinted in recent years, including:
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Undesignated art "Untitled". Artist: Lou Nolan. US Air Force Art Collection. January 1, 1995. "SAC". Artist: Lou Nolan – depicting a Boeing B-47 Stratojet in flight.
Family Nolan was born to the marriage of Louis James Nolan (1905–1976) and Mary J. White (born 1905). He married twice, first – on June 3, 1950, at Calvary Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. – to Emilie Jean Edwards (maiden; 1926–2017); then – around 1985 – to Sara Louise Danis (maiden; 1940–2001), a graphic designer.
Affiliations In 1963, Nolan was elected to the board of directors of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Chapter of the Izaak Walton League.
Bibliography
Annotations
Notes
References
External links US Navy Poster Museum, Point Pleasant, West Virginia, Kelly McCorry Fields, founder (see museum status link) → virtual museum via Facebook at link.
