Frank Applegate of Santa Fe: Artist and Preservationist

Frank Applegate was a well-established artist on the East Coast when he moved to Santa Fe in 1921. He was immediately drawn into the art of the Native American and Hispanic cultures and became a moving force in the Santa Fe art scene. Applegate, along with Mary Austin, founded the Spanish Colonial Arts Society whose 75th anniversary is July 2001.

Applegate was known for his watercolors, oil paintings, ceramics, and santos. This thoughtful and concise biography is written by Applegate’s great-nephew and his wife who had access to family papers and to photographs by Ansel Adams.