Blandon Reed Campbell, born in 1872, produced a body of work as divergent as a colorful oil on canvas of dancing nymphs to work as dark in color and mood as his Depression-era "Derelict, N.Y.," 1933. A line of darkly-dressed, Depression-caused derelicts sit amidst garbage along a wooden fence diagonally retreating into the painting, with buildings and newly-washed clothes drying beyond. Posters on the fence advertise fun at "Coney Island" and an automobile offering "speed" and "comfort" for $450, low to us today, but as far away as the moon for these unemployed.

Campbell painted a series of nymphs in the 1930's, in the depths of the Depression perhaps to much the same effect as escapist Shirley Temple films and other movie musicals. ...