Carol Stuart Watson,
1931-1986
Nation’s Capital Illustrator and Publisher
Top 10 Projects
#1 U.S. Chamber of Commerce Mural (1980)
This mural depicts the “Romance of Lafayette Square”.
#2 Martin Marietta, now (Lockheed Martin) Mural (1970s)
Carol was an accomplished and imaginative muralist, and one of her major works is ‘Colonial Georgetown’ at Lockheed Headquarters (then Martin Marietta) in Bethesda, Md.
#3 Publishers About Dining, Shopping in Washington (1960)
Carriage Trade Publications became the Washington, D.C., authority on prestige shops and restaurants. Before other travel guidebooks were established, Carol and Dave published “Dining in Washington” and “Shopping in Washington.” These quarterly reviews and advertising guidebooks were distributed through the participating clients’ shops. Together, Carol and Dave befriended and did business with the owners of many of the finest shops and restaurants in Georgetown and across the region.
#4 The Georgetowner Newspaper (1954)
In 1954, Carol Stuart, an artist, editor and writer, helped founding publisher Ami Stewart create the look of the iconic newspaper for the oldest neighborhood in Washington, D.C.
PHOTO: Carol drew the masthead as well as the iconic black and white logos and artwork for hundreds of business owners
PHOTO: Laying out an early edition of “The Georgetowner.” Left to right: Ami Stewart, Bernie Fralpont, Carol Stuart, Carl Weger. October, 1955
#5 Montgomery County Map (1976)
Early in Carol’s artistic career, she became fascinated with drawing historical maps of the Washington, D.C., area as a way of communicating large amounts of information through graphical presentation. Plus she could print and sell a few. In 1976 she was commissioned to illustrate the official bicentennial map of Montgomery County. The large, colorful print was a major undertaking as it depicts numerous important homes and historical sites with a brief written description of each. These still hang on the walls of many government and business offices and private homes throughout Maryland and beyond.
#6 Georgetown and D.C. Calendars (1970)
Calendars were an ideal ‘product’ for a start-up printing and advertising company. Carriage Trade’s client shops and restaurants could sell them stand-alone or distribute them. For many years Carol drew calendars, usually of historic architectural scenes, for the ‘markets’ of Alexandria, Georgetown, Frederick, and Washington, D.C., and perhaps others. To keep them fresh and interesting, this meant drawing twelve or more new and compelling images per calendar each year, amounting to several hundred images in all. After the kids were off to bed, Carol would work into the early mornings to finish these artworks, always against a publication deadline. Many cups of coffee were consumed.
#7 A Friend of the National Zoo (1970)
Carol had fun making posters, coloring books, maps, calendars, drawings and even Panda Bear mugs for the Friends of the National Zoo. She delighted in making friends with both the animals and their caretakers.
#8 Christmas Cards (1980)
Carol reveled in designing Christmas cards that were sold nationwide. These designs appeared on notebooks, wrapping paper and Christmas ornaments as well. In 1982 she won the Graphic Arts Award Competition sponsored by the Printing Industries of America for her design of “Bear Branches” gift wrap.
#9 Arthur The White House Mouse (1978)
Carol illustrated a series of children’s’ books featuring the delightful Arthur, the White House Mouse. Carol had a great love and understanding of animals, and in preparation for these commissions, she even studied the antics of live mice. Carol drew for three titles in the series: “Where’s Rachel?,” “ Hurrah for Arthur!” and “Arthur, The White House Mouse” by Anne Denton Blair in 1978
#10 Harpers Ferry – National Park Service (1975)
In 1972 the Interpretive Design Center of the National Park Service commissioned Carol Stuart Watson to develop more than seventy -five watercolor paintings depicting the rich history of Harper’s Ferry. These images were integrated into a narrated multimedia slide show that was exhibited daily for many years at the Harper’s Ferry Visitors Center. Topics included: Robert Harper and his “Potomac Ferry;” George Washington’s establishment of a federal armory and arsenal; a visit by Thomas Jefferson; the starting point of the Lewis and Clark expedition; the arrival of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal; the crossing of the Potomac by the Baltimore & Ohio railroad;, the John Brown raid that preceded the Civil War and marked the first command of Confederate general Stonewall Jackson; the site of Civil War battles and Storer School; the first college to educate freed slaves.
CAROL STUART WATSON
BIO
Carol Stuart Watson, Aug. 14, 1931 – Jan. 19, 1986, was an artist, illustrator, muralist, writer and photographer whose work was well known in Washington D.C., and the surrounding area in Virginia and Maryland.
Carol was born at Georgetown Hospital in Washington D.C., the first of seven children of Dr. Leander Scales Stuart and Henrietta Christine Kreh Stuart.
The family lived in Bethesda, Md., and Carol attended Bethesda and Lynbrook Elementary Schools, Leland Junior High School, and Bethesda Chevy Chase High School. She was among the first students to attend and graduate from Montgomery Junior College and went on to the University of Maryland where she earned her fine arts degree in 1953. She was a classmate and contemporary of Muppeteer Jim Henson.
In 1960 Carol founded Carriage Trade Publications with her husband David under the Whitehurst Freeway on K Street, next to the old coal power plant in Georgetown..
Carol taught their customers how to build comprehensive brand image campaigns and had a significant influence on the visual brand language of the region.
Carol’s illustrated historical scenes of Washington, D.C., Georgetown, Alexandria, Va., and Annapolis, Montgomery County, and Frederick, Md., were printed and widely circulated on postcards, calendars, in books and as prints for framing.
Before other travel guidebooks became established, Carol and Dave published “Shopping in Washington and Dining in Washington”. These annual reviews and advertising guidebooks were distributed through participating client’s shops.
A popular illustrator of children’s books, her pictures are found in publications such as “Where’s Rachel,” “Hurrah for Arthur” “Flower Fables,” “Hey, ey-ey-Lock – Adventures on the C&O Canal,” “Upstairs and Downstairs in a Victorian Doll House” and many more.
In the years preceding her death at age 54, Carol worked at Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory as a graphic illustrator for the Fleet Systems.
Carol and Dave had three children: Marjorie Watson Young, John Stuart Watson and David Deshler Watson, Jr.
A REQUEST FROM THE FAMILY
We are compiling a digital record of her work. If you have an illustration by Carol Stuart Watson, please take a photograph and email to marjorie@carriagetradepr.com. We will post it on https://www.facebook.com/CarolWatson1933/ with your permission as the owner. Otherwise it will be listed as PRIVATE COLLECTION.
Thank you,
Marjorie Young
marjorie@carriagetradepr.com
912-844-9990
REFERENCES ABOUT CAROL STUART WATSON
Wikipedia: https://wikivisually.com/wiki/Carol_Stuart_Watson
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarolWatson1933/
List of University of Maryland, College Park people, #54 on the Arts and entertainment
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_University_of_Maryland,_College_Park_people
Website: https://carolstuartwatson.wordpress.com/tag/carol-stuart-watson/
Georgetowner article: A Daughter’s Love Story: The Legacy of Carol Stuart Watson: https://georgetowner.com/articles/2015/06/22/daughters-love-story-legacy-carol-stuart-watson/
#CSW
#CarolStuarWatson