He also studied at the Barnes Foundation in Merion, PA, from 1934-1936. He completed his studies at PAFA's city school in Philadelphia in 1936. Weidner was awarded the Cresson Traveling Scholarship in 1935. He attended the country school until 1934 when PAFA closed it as a year-round school. Weidner was known for his energy and strength which was needed to maintain the gardens on this large property. This gave Weidner opportunities to work outside and enjoy nature and the outdoors. Weidner got odd jobs at the school including working for the English gardener mowing lawns, weeding, cleaning out the swimming pool, and doing dishes. In 1930, Weidner received a scholarship from Reading High School in Pennsylvania to attend the country school of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) in Chester Springs. De Francesco was instrumental in Weidner's admission to the Reading Museum drawing classes while he was still in high school. De Francesco who later became the Art Director, then President of Kutztown University from 1959-1967. The instructor for the art club was Italo L. He was a member of the Reading High School (Pennsylvania) Art Club which took frequent trips to nearby art shows. Weidner's youth included hunting and fishing with his father, which provided still life subjects for his early artwork. Weidner's mother, Almeda Hughes, who only had a fourth grade education, taught him his multiplication tables before he went to school. Harry Weidner worked on road crews as part of WPA and made bootleg liquor. His father, Harry, was an iron puddler who lost his job and the family savings in the Great Depression. Roswell Weidner was born in Reading, PA on September 18, 1911. Oral history interview with Roswell Weidner (4+ hours, 134 page transcript available upon request), July 20–27, 1989, Smithsonian Archives of American Art He was associated with the academy for 66 years, first as a student and later as a teacher, until his retirement in 1996.
Weidner began teaching at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1938. He worked in the Works Progress Administration Arts Project during the Great Depression and in a shipyard as an expediter during World War II. He was a student at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) city school and country school in Chester Springs, and the Barnes Foundation. His subject matter included still life, landscapes, and portraits. Roswell Weidner (September 18, 1911 – September 22, 1999) was an American artist known for his paintings, charcoal and pastel drawings, and prints. 1938-1956), American artist Marilyn Kemp Weidner (m. Barnes Foundation, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Artsĭoris Kunzie Weidner (m.