John E. Costigan

Throughout much of his long career, Costigan earned a living as a commercial artist while exhibiting paintings in prestigious museums and galleries. Orphaned as an adolescent, Costigan was raised by his aunt and uncle, the vaudeville performers Helen and Jeremiah Cohan. His cousin was playwright George M. Cohan. He moved to New York where he worked for the H.C. Miner Lithographing Company and attended life drawing sessions at the Kit Kat Club. He served in the army in France in 1918-1919. After his marriage to sculptor Ida Blessin, they moved to Orangeburg, New York. Costigan was elected to the National Academy of Design, exhibited in major museums, including the Whitney Museum and the Carnegie Institute, and taught at the Art Students League.