“A St. Louisan’s Mexican Diary—in Water Colors”, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 29, 1934

In July of 1934, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch published a full-page, four-color article describing Charles’s travels to Mexico, accompanied by illustrations of watercolors he had made during the trip. The newspaper reported that works from his “Mexican Diary” were exhibited in Norfolk, Virginia, and would travel to New York in the winter. Charles recounted to the staff reporter that he slept and ate in the homes of locals and repaid their hospitality by making portraits of his hosts. Leaving these souvenirs behind, he in turn brought back with him examples of Mexico’s rich craft tradition, beginning a small collection of objects.