In 1938 there was no greater authority on art and design in the city of Oshkosh than Ethel Behncke. Mrs. Behncke, wife of noted watercolorist Nile Behncke, came to the Oshkosh State Teachers College in 1925 to become the director of art, a position she held until her retirement in 1963. Her activities as an artist and educator in Oshkosh were numerous. In addition to her teaching responsibilities at the college, Behncke assembled numerous exhibits, taught art classes to small children and adults from the community, and served as an advisor to the Quiver, the college annual, for 23 years. During the Depression, Ethel Behncke served as the regional director for the WPA art projects. Little in Oshkosh relating to art escaped her attention or influence, including the very pictures in peoples' homes. In her radio talk titled "Pictures to Live With," dated April 28,1938, Mrs. Behncke sought to provide listeners with the rudiments of home decorating with pictures.

Gail Panske is a professor of art at UW Oshkosh.