Joan of Arc, 1863 |
Howard Pyle is born March 5, 1853 in Wilmington, New Castle, Delaware, United States. He is a son of William Pyle and Margaret Churchman.[1][2]
As a child, he attends private schools and is interested in drawing and writing from a very young age. He studies for three years at the studio of F. A. Van der Wielen in Philadelphia.
Pyle moves to New York and initially struggles; his lack of professional experience makes it difficult for him to translate his ideas into forms for publication.
The Buccaneer Was a Picturesque Fellow, 1905 |
He finally publishes a double-paged spread in the Harper's Weekly issue of March 9, 1878 and was paid $75. He becomes increasingly successful and is an established artist by the time he returns to Wilmington in 1880. Pyle continues illustrating for magazines. He also collaborates on several books. He writes and illustrates his own stories, beginning with The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood in 1883. This book won international attention.
Pyle marries singer Anne Poole on April 12, 1881, and the couple has seven children.[3][4]
His 1883 classic publication The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood remains in print, and his other books, frequently with medieval European settings, include a four-volume set on King Arthur. He is also well known for his illustrations of pirates, and is credited with creating what has become the modern stereotype of pirate dress. He publishes his first novel, Otto of the Silver Hand, in 1888. He also illustrated historical and adventure stories for periodicals such as Harper's Weekly and St. Nicholas Magazine. His novel Men of Iron was adapted as the movie The Black Shield of Falworth (1954).
The Mermaid, 1910 |
In 1889, he and his wife sail to Jamaica, leaving their children in the care of relatives. While they are overseas, their son Sellers died unexpectedly.
In 1894 he begins teaching illustration at the Drexel Institute of Art, Science and Industry (now Drexel University). After 1900, he founds his own school of art and illustration, naming it the Howard Pyle School of Illustration Art.
Pyle travels to Florence, Italy in 1910 to study mural painting.
Suffering poor health, he feels depressed and drained of energy. After one year in the country, he suffers a kidney infection and dies on November 9, 1911 in Florence, Italy. He is buried at Cimitero Accatolico in Florence, Città Metropolitana di Firenze, Toscana, Italy.[5]
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Howard is 26 degrees from Herbert Adair, 21 degrees from Richard Adams, 20 degrees from Mel Blanc, 25 degrees from Dick Bruna, 18 degrees from Bunny DeBarge, 31 degrees from Peter Dinklage, 21 degrees from Sam Edwards, 17 degrees from Ginnifer Goodwin, 20 degrees from Marty Krofft, 16 degrees from Junius Matthews, 14 degrees from Rachel Mellon and 18 degrees from Harold Warstler on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.