William Jacobs

William Jacobs was born in Chicago in 1897. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and at Hull House, where he became an instructor. He exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Chicago Woman’s Aid and the Jewish Women’s Art Club, among others. In the 1930s, he participated in the painting of murals in the corridors of Chicago’s Spaulding High School through the WPA art program. During the 1950s and '60s the artist became recognized for his abstract paintings.

William Jacobs is one of the noted artists featured in the important 1933 book on Chicago Modern art, "Art of Today: Chicago”, by J.Z. Jacobson. Jacobs died in Chicago in 1973.