Arthur Beaumont was a Lieutnane in the United States Naval Reserve and official artist of the United States Fleet. During World War II, he was a war artist and documented naval battles. The collection includes documents, photographs, and artwork.

Arthur Beaumont was born in Norwich, England in 1890 and immigrated to the United States via Canada when he was 19. He studied at the Mark Hopkins Institute of Art (San Francisco), the Chouinard Art Institute (Los Angeles), Los Angeles School of Art, Slade School of Art (London), and Academie Julian (Paris). In the 1930s, he became a Lieutenant in the United States Naval Reserve and the official artist of the United States Fleet, during which time he began producing the first of many watercolors depicting battle ships and other naval subjects. During World War II, he was a war artist and documented naval battles. The National Geographic magazine published a series of these works. After the war, he continued producing watercolors of naval activities in China, Japan, Guam, Vietnam, and the Antarctic. He served in an official capacity and as a freelance artist for the Navy until his death in 1978.

52 manuscript boxes, 18 oversize boxes (39.34 Linear Feet)

For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Boxes 58 and 59 may not be used without permission of the Archivist. The remainder of the collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.