Howard Pyle

Born in 1853 in Wilmington, Delaware, Pyle was encouraged by his mother to study art. He spent three years at a studio in Philadelphia, which constituted the entirety of his formal artistic training.¹

A 1876 visit to Chincoteague Island inspired him to write and illustrate an article for Scribner's Monthly, which encouraged him to move to New York and pursue illustration professionally.¹

His 1883 publication 'The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood' won international acclaim from critics like William Morris and remains in print today as a classic of children's literature.¹

The unexpected death of his son Sellers in 1889 likely inspired his book 'The Garden Behind the Moon,' which deals with death and is dedicated to his late son.¹

His 1891 novel 'Men of Iron' was a popular adventure tale about knighthood, later adapted into the 1954 film 'The Black Shield of Falworth'.¹

Beginning in 1894, he taught illustration at the Drexel Institute, mentoring notable future artists including Maxfield Parrish and Jessie Willcox Smith.¹

He founded his own school in 1900, leading to the 'Brandywine School' of illustration which profoundly influenced artists like N. C. Wyeth and the Wyeth family.¹

Starting in 1903, Pyle turned his attention to mural painting, creating works for the Delaware Art Museum and various courthouses, such as 'The Battle of Nashville'.¹

In 1910, Pyle traveled to Florence, Italy to study mural painting and the old masters, but died there in 1911 at age 58 due to a sudden kidney infection.¹