Kenneth Wilson Whitsett Family papers

Kenneth Wilson Whitsett, (1894-1983), f. Lemuel Whittsett and m. Roberta Caldwell, a native Charlottean and World War I veteran, was a renowned artist and engraver. Whitsett attended the Baird School in Charlotte, North Carolina and studied at the Art Institute in Chicago. He worked as an architectural draftsman for Hook & Rogers Architects and as a cartoonist for the Charlotte Observer. After attending the Art Institute, Whitsett worked for the Bureau of Engraving in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was one of Charlotte's first commercial artists. In 1924 he established the Charlotte Engraving Company with Curtis B. Johnson. In 1929, Charlotte Engraving merged with Bierman Engraving, forming the largest engraving plant south of Washington, D.C. In 1934 Kenneth and two of his brothers, Lemuel and Theron, established the Pictorial Engraving Company. He painted murals for the Charlotte City Club and the Orange County Historical Museum in Hillsborough. He was one of the original members of the board of directors for the Mint Museum of Art (1934-1938). By 1944, Kenneth Whitsett had developed both a friendship and client relationship with Harry Golden through the printing of the Carolina Israelite. In 1948, he designed the sets and costumes for the symphonic drama, Shout Freedom! The Pictorial Engraving Company changed its name in 1996 to Pictorial EDGE.