Born June 14, 1883, in Swojass, Checkozlovokia, the son of Anton and Susanna (Bechina) Drapp, John Drapp became interested in painting in his teen years.  He immigrated to the United States in 1906, his wife Irene followed in 1907 and his daughter Lily (born in 1907) in 1911.   The family settled in Chicago where they had a number of addresses, the last one being 1373 E. 55th Street at the time of his death.

Apart from a few evening lessons at the Chicago Institute of Art, he was entirely self-taught.  The artist had a studio in the Boston Store in downtown Chicago, on the 6th floor, where he also did restoration and gave lessons.

Drapp was one of the exhibitors at the 1933 Chicago Worlds Fair as a part of the Greenwich Village Art Colony.  This colony, at 26th street on the Midway of the Exposition, consisted of one hundred artists from various schools of artistic influence.

 Having ceased painting in early 1936, John Drapp died on April 2, 1938, of colon cancer

Submitted by Edward P. Bentley, Researcher from Lansing, Michigan