Remembering one of Kentucky’s most talented artist

By Kimberly King

Carrie was born March 31, 1894 to Charles and Lula Kenner Dudley in Flemingsburg, Kentucky and is considered one of Kentucky’s most talented artist.

Before she and her husband Jack settled in Louisville in 1963, Carrie lived in New York, Italy, and California.

After graduating from the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, she earned her living as a professional commercial artist.

Although her work included stunning portraits and still life paintings, she primarily supported herself as a commercial artist and illustrated children’s books and designed greeting cards for Henri Fayette, NuArt and Chrysons card companies.

For reasons unknown, she felt compelled to use a male pseudonym during most of her career and used “Doug Ewen” as her professional name.

Most of her works that The Filson Historical Society owns, such as portraits, children’s book cover art, and greeting cards, are all signed Doug.

Her niece Lu Ann Weinstein fondly remembered, “Aunt Doug [was] making money long before women were supposed to be so uppity.”

Over the years Carrie became adept at writing and illustrating whimsical and innovative books, such as My Peek-a-boo Show Book and Let’s Play Circus, another Peek-a-boo Show Book.

The cardboard pages of these “peek-a-boo” books contain small windows that reveal images on subsequent pages that can be changed at random.

She also illustrated other authors’ works, such as Betty Baxter’s Supposin’, as well as magazines and cookbooks.

Carrie designed a variety of holiday and greeting cards over the years but concentrated solely on Christmas cards during the last years of her life.

These cards exhibit the same playful touches as her children’s books, featuring jolly Santa’s, winsome angels, ice-skating snowmen, and Louisville street scenes.

Carrie Dudley Ewen’s original designs were created in the same size as the finished product. Unfortunately, she was often disappointed with the poor color reproductions of her creations.

Designing the cards became second nature to Ewen, who produced hundreds of images over the years. When asked if she made preliminary sketches for her cards in a 1969 Louisville Times article, Ewen replied, “Not any more my dear. When you’ve been doing this as long as I have you can almost do them in your sleep. Painting Christmas card designs, after all these years, is just as natural to me as breathing.”

Unfortunately, none of her original paintings were returned to her after the cards had been produced.

The Filson Historical Society has a generous amount of material on the life and family of Carrie Dudley Douglas Ewen and includes over eighty of her Christmas cards as well as twelve oil paintings and seven watercolors and two oils painted by Carries mother Lula Kenner Dudley.

Dudley family documents in the Filson manuscript department include family letters written by Joseph and Charles Dudley while serving in the Union Army during the Civil War, by Carrie Dudley Ewen while traveling in Europe with her husband Jack Ewen in 1927 and 1928, and letters regarding her brother Bruce’s career as sports editor for The Courier-Journal and president of the Louisville Baseball Club and the Louisville Colonels; three diaries and a scrapbook kept by Lula Kenner Dudley; Civil War muster rolls and army records; Grand Army of the Republic records; and a memoir of plantation life. The Dudley photograph collection covers the years from 1850 to 1979 and contains both professional photographs and candid snapshots of members of the Dudley family, relatives, and friends.

There are several albums showcasing family gatherings and parties, scenes in Flemingsburg and at Park Lake in Fleming County, and pictures of the Dudley homes in Flemingsburg.

These records are an insightful complement to the works produced by this delightful artist.

Carrie Dudley Ewen remained in Louisville until her death on March 11, 1982.

Source: Filson Historical Society.

“We have yet to find any record that she sold her portraits but do know she exhibited this self-portrait titled “The Green Coat” and signed it as “Douglas Ewen” in the Fifteenth Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary American Oil Paintings at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. in 1937. The biennial was considered the pulse of American art and Ewen’s work was exhibited alongside artists such as John Sloan, Grant Wood, William Glackens, N.C. Wyeth and Edward Hopper.

We don’t know her motives for choosing to sign her work as Douglas or Doug Ewen. However, we do know that her family members referred to her as Doug and Dougie. Vital records list her as Douglas Ewen. Her obituary identifies her as Douglas Ewen, a native of Flemingsburg and an artist.

The Filson Historical Society has 11 of her oil paintings, 12 watercolor paintings, as well as paper cutouts and prototypes for her commercial work. Additionaly, there are samples of her greeting cards and a collection of visual references she used to inform her illustrations,” Robin Wallace, Reference Specialist, stated in an article she wrote for The Filson Newsmagazine.

A copy of Carrie’s “My Peek-A-Boo Show Book” as well as additional Dudley family genealogy, can be seen locally at the Fleming County Covered Bridge Museum.

Painting of a painter’s studio by artist Carrie Douglas Dudley Ewen. Source: Gift of Lu Ann Weinstein, The Filson Historical Society, Louisville, Kentucky, USA. 1986.1.16.

“Gabby Gaffer”, a Christmas Tale, by May Justus, illustrated by Carrie Dudley, published by P.F. Joliet Volland Company, New York and London, 1929.