Gray's Watercolor Collection

Founded in 1965, the College Watercolor Group emerged from Paul McConaughy’s search for an economical way to produce limited-edition watercolor prints. Beginning with a popular series depicting Cornell University buildings, the group expanded nationwide, producing affordable watercolor images of college campuses across the United States. Using a process inspired by nineteenth-century Currier and Ives prints, each work began as a pen-and-ink drawing reproduced as a lithograph on watercolor paper and then hand-colored by artists. The business evolved into Gray’s Watercolors, a name derived from the shared artist surname “Gray,” adopted by multiple contributors as the studio grew in size and reputation. This collection consists of commissioned watercolor prints created primarily in the late 1960s to 1970s. Evidence such as building name changes suggests many works date from after 1975. Some images, including depictions of structures no longer standing, were likely produced from photographic sources. Together, the materials document a distinctive collaborative printmaking enterprise and its role in popularizing campus architecture through accessible fine art.