J. Benjamin Dimmick (1857-1920), the 13th mayor of Scranton, PA, also served as an officer of two local banks and was involved in the creation of the PA State Oral School for the Deaf.  He was a founder and president of the Scranton Lace Company. 

Following Dimmick’s death in January 1920, the Business Men’s Club of the Scranton Lace Company met to adopt this testimonial resolution honoring a man they called “a warm personal friend’ whose ‘sterling character and words of wisdom fills us with high ideals and aspirations.” 

The engrossing is a simple document lettered on two 8 x 10” sheets.  P. W. Costello used a combination of Finished Old English (in large initial letters and in the subject’s name) and thin and heavy-bodied Engrosser’s Text throughout.  He added finely drawn filigree along the left border on page 2.  All of the larger text is done in black ink with grey shading.  Images are used courtesy of the Lackawanna Historical Society.

President Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous Address at Gettysburg on the afternoon of November 19, 1863 at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, PA.  Though the speech contains only 271 words,  it is one of the most enduring, significant addresses in American history.  

P. W. Costello, born one year after Lincoln’s death, demonstrated his affection and admiration for Lincoln in many engrossings, portraits and certificates.  This color engrossing was done by Mr. Costello in 1925 and given to his son, Jerry, a syndicated editorial cartoonist in Albany, NY. 

The headings are horizontally duo-toned in medieval-style ornate medial lettering; the large initial letters in “Abraham Lincoln” and “Four” are filled with burnished gold, outlined in black ink and accented with crimson in the center. The speech itself is lettered in Engrossers Text.

Mr. Costello added a light brown watercolor wash to the paper to give it the look of parchment. The wide, brightly colored border is reminiscent of medieval monastic manuscripts. It includes acanthus leaves, flowers and a winding vine running throughout all four borders, encircling 16 flowers and other vegetation with burnished gold.  

Dimensions:  10 x 14 in.   Owner:  Patricia Costello Smith.

Created in 1928, this engrossing was published in black and white ten years later in The Business Educator, a national pen art journal. The original was done in vibrant color with lavishly decorated, gold leafed borders.  

The large letter “A” in “Abraham,” beautifully detailed in acanthus, makes up the entire left border, culminating in the United States Coat of Arms at bottom with a bald eagle and a banner with thirteen vertical stripes. 

The borders are expertly decorated with foliage, acanthus designs, a checkerboard panel, vines and multiple small gold circles with emanating rays. Two masted flags are recessed behind the text at bottom. The detail and scope of this work is impressive, even in black & white.  In the original, Mr. Costello probably used vermillion in the title, his favored color for headings, and royal blue, burgundy, dark green and burnished gold throughout the borders, creating a stunning visual effect.

Andrew J. Casey (1904-1928) was the son of Andrew J. Casey, Sr., and nephew of Patrick J. Casey, Irish immigrant brothers who became highly successful businessmen in Scranton, PA in the late 1800s and after.  They founded the Hotel Casey, the Casey & Kelly Brewing Company, the Liberty Discount and Savings Bank, and many other smaller ventures. 

Andrew, Jr.,  who first attended St. Thomas College (a two-year school at the time), then graduated from Georgetown University in 1924, was a vice president and assistant treasurer of the Hotel Casey Company when his father died unexpectedly in March 1928.  Tragically, only months after assuming greater responsibility for family businesses, Andrew became gravely ill with pneumonia and died in December of that same year.  He was only 24.

P. W. Costello engrossed these colorful testimonial resolutions using a design reminiscent of monastic manuscripts from the Middle Ages. A few years earlier, Mr. Costello also utilized a medieval design in four other engrossings displayed on these pages:  Woodrow Wilson - testimonial (1924); Address at Gettysburg (1925); Bishop Andrew J. Brennan - elevation to Bishop of Richmond, VA (1926) and Address at Gettysburg (1928). 

Highlights include a large initial letter “W” – beautifully decorated with burnished gold and colorful acanthus leaves; Medieval style lettering in the heading and large lettering throughout, drop-shaded, with crimson watercolor capitals, filled with burnished gold; black Engrosser’s Text in the small lettering with red and blue line spacers; colorful red, green and gold “piping” along all four borders with duo-toned, layered acanthus decoration at the corners and delicate filigree at the midpoints. Using pen and brush, Mr. Costello was a master at creating a graceful, engaging piece with immediate aesthetic appeal.  The original, mounted on 3-ply Bristol Board, is ninety-two years old and is in remarkable condition.  

Dimensions: 12.3 by 18.5 in.   Source: A Pittsburgh estate sale.  Owner:  Thomas W. Costello.

Pen and ink drawing of an accordion player. Artist P. W. Costello donated this drawing for a fundraiser at Holy Cross Church in Scranton, PA.  Dimensions: 11 x 15 in.  Owners: Jim and Mary McGraw.

Pen and ink illustration of a nun in a European convent, modeled after a painting by German artist Gustav A. Kuntz (1843-1879).  Dimensions:  17 x 21 in.  Owner:  John Leahy

Pen and ink drawing, with watercolor background, of a man and woman. From their dress and surroundings, the setting could be in Spain or Portugal.  Dimensions:  9 x 12 in.   Owner:  John Costello.

Pen and ink drawing of a cavalier, a term for loyal supporters of King Charles I during the English Civil War of the late 15th Century. His slumped posture and inverted flask show that he has had too much to drink. Note the scene's finely detailed elements: texture of the subject's clothes, embroidered tablecloth, grain in the floorboards and pattern in the wool rug.  Dimensions: 12 x 15 in.   Owner: Patricia Smith

Pen and ink drawing of a violinist, or fiddler, that was published in 'The Western Penman' in 1901. P. W. Costello's tight cross-hatching and stippling give a unique, textured look to the musician's suit and hat.  When the drawing was published in a penmanship journal, the editor commented, “An excellent example of fine art by P. W. Costello, Scranton, Pa.”  Dimensions:  8 x 10 in.  Published in the September 1901 ‘Western Penman,’ Vol. 18, No. 6, page 174.

Pen and ink drawing of a woman sewing in a small English cottage, titled, 'A Tranquil Hour.' Note the cat under the table eyeing the empty bowl in the middle of the floor.  This drawing was a favorite of Scranton native, Patty Costello (1947-2009), Hall of Fame pro bowler and great-grandaughter of P. W. Costello.  Dimensions:  14 x 20 in.   Owners:  Dan, Nancy, and William Costello.

Pen and ink drawing of an Irishman.  Dimensions:  6 x 13 in.  Owner: Dolly O’Boyle.

Pen and ink drawing of a woman knitting, as she stands on the steps of a home in a rural town in Italy. Behind her, the words 'Ave Maria' are carved into the stone pillar. Artist P. W. Costello modeled the drawing after either a painting by C. H. Jalabert or an engraving by J. Levasseur, published in 1885.  Dimensions: 12 x 17 in.

Pen and ink drawing of a shepherdess tending her flock. The rural setting could be Ireland or England.  Dimensions: 16 x 20 in.   Owner:  Maureen Corbett Fawley

Pen and ink drawing of a pastoral scene with an orchard and three workers harvesting crops. Based on their clothing, the setting could be in Western Europe. Landscapes were a rare subject for artist P. W. Costello.  He gave this drawing to Atty. Ira Burns, who was Scranton's City Solicitor when Mr. Costello was also working in politics.  Dimensions:  11 x 17 in.  Owner:  Thomas W. Costello  (Gift from Jean O'Malley).

Pen and ink drawing of two elderly men playing checkers. This drawing, modeled after one by Richard Creifelds, is part of the Horace Healey Collection housed at the New York Public Library in Manhattan. It is inscribed to Mr. Healey and was given to him in 1905 by artist P. W. Costello with several other drawings. Source:  Horace G. Healey Collection, Horace Grant Healey Penmanship Collection Manuscripts and Archives Division. The New York Public Library. Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations.  Dimensions:  11 x 9 in.