Walter Joseph Biggs

Born 4 June 1886 in Montgomery County, Walter Joseph Biggs was raised here on Second Street at Roanoke Boulevard. His New York School of Art instructors included Robert Henri. Edward Hopper and George Bellows were classmates. Praised by Norman Rockwell for “brilliant and poetic” application of color, Biggs illustrated magazines and novels, and won honors in art exhibitions. He was inducted into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame in 1963. Several repositories hold his works, including the City of Salem and the Salem Museum, and Roanoke College owns a major collection. Biggs died 11 Feb 1968 and is buried in Sherwood Memorial Park.

Department of Historic Resources, 2013