Frederic Remington: Illustrator of the Old West

Frederic Remington went to art school at Yale University but was more interested in football and boxing than art. A trip to Montana at 19 inspired him with images of the Old West. Remington became noticed as an illustrator after he worked for Harper's Weekly starting in 1886. Along with Charles Russell, Remington is recognized as an artist of the Old West.

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Howard Pyle: American Illustrator

Howard Pyle is known as the "father of American illustration." He mostly illustrated children's books with pirates being one of his primary subjects. Pyle was educated at the Drexel Institute of Art, Science and Industry and went on to found his own art school; Howard Pyle School of Illustration. He taught summer courses at Chadds Ford, PA. One of his students was N.C. Wyeth, who is another key figure in American illustration, among many other students who became well known illustrators.

N.C. Wyeth: American Artist and Illustrator

Newell Convers Wyeth was an outstanding pupil of the renowned illustrator Howard Pyle and became one of the best American illustrators. Pyle taught him his own detailed realism with an atmosphere of romanticism, while Wyeth developed a looser style. Wyeth was taught to be historically accururate in his illustrations. His first commissioned work was for the Saturday Evening Post at the age of 21!

Wyeth settled in Chadd's Ford, PA near the historic Brandywine battlefield. I used to pass by this area frequently on my way to the Philadelphia airport from Lancaster and have visited the Brandywine River Museum which exhibits the works of the Wyeth family. I knew the work of N.C.'s son, Andrew Wyeth, from college art history classes before I knew about his father and the work of his grandson, Jamie.