Quick Facts
CapricornBiography
George Shepard Chappell, AIA (January 2, 1877 – November 25, 1946) was an American architect, parodist, journalist (with the magazine Vanity Fair) and author.He is known as the author of numerous books, including a travel series parody published under the pseudonym Walter E. Traprock.
Biography
Chappell was born on January 2, 1877 in New London, Connecticut. After attending private schools, he studied at Yale University, where he contributed to campus humor magazine The Yale Record. After graduating in 1899, he went to Paris to train in architecture at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts. The school then promoted classical and European medieval styles.
After getting started in architecture, Chappell also wrote articles for Vanity Fair. Encouraged by friends, he wrote several humorous books during the 1920s and early 1930s. These included a series of travel parodies under the pseudonym of Walter E. Traprock.
He died on November 25, 1946 in Bantam, Connecticut.
Sources
- alibris: The Cruise of the Kawa: Wanderings in the South Seas
- Edgar Rice Burroughs Library: Walter E. Traprock
- Katz, Alvin. (31 October 2001). "Humor in the 1920s," Notes of a Used and Out-of-Print Book Dealer, 15, [1]
- Leverenz, Scott. (31 December 2005). Traprock.net: FAQ [2]