Howard Pyle
Pyle taught for free. He built studios for his students, accepted only twelve from five hundred applicants in the first year, and charged nothing. The artists who passed through his school in Wilmington, Delaware, and Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, included N.C. Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish, Jessie Willcox Smith, Harvey Dunn, Frank Schoonover and Violet Oakley. Between them they defined American illustration for the first half of the twentieth century.
Biography
He was born in Wilmington in 1853 into a Quaker family and lived there nearly his entire life. He studied briefly at the Art Students League in New York but was otherwise self-directed. His first major book, The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood (1883), earned praise from William Morris and established him as both writer and illustrator. His pirate illustrations created the popular image of pirate dress that persists today: bandanas, earrings, striped trousers, cutlasses. The look came from Pyle's imagination and a few historical details, assembled into a visual stereotype so convincing that it replaced whatever the historical record actually showed.
Vincent van Gogh admired his work. In a letter to his brother Theo, Van Gogh wrote that Pyle's illustrations "struck me dumb with admiration." The praise came from one outsider to another; neither man ran in establishment circles.
In 1889, while Pyle and his wife were in Jamaica, their son Sellers died at home. The loss likely inspired The Garden Behind the Moon, a children's book about death, dedicated "To the little Boy in the Moon Garden... by His Father." He travelled to Florence in 1910 to study mural painting and died there the following year of kidney disease, at fifty-eight. He never received a formal award for his work.
Timeline
- 1853Born on 5 March in Wilmington, Delaware, to a Quaker family. His mother, a painter, encouraged his early interest in drawing.
- 1876At 23, moved to New York City and enrolled at the Art Students' League, studying under instructors who honed his draughtsmanship.
- 1878At 25, published his first double-page illustration in Harper's Weekly in New York. He was paid $75, five times what he had expected.
- 1883At 30, published The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood in Wilmington, both writing and illustrating the book. It became an enduring classic of children's literature.
- 1894At 41, began teaching illustration at the Drexel Institute in Philadelphia, where his students included Maxfield Parrish, Violet Oakley, and Jessie Willcox Smith.
- 1900At 47, founded his own art school in Wilmington, the Howard Pyle School of Illustration Art, offering free tuition to gifted students.
- 1906At 53, completed The Battle of Nashville, a large mural for the Minnesota State Capitol in Saint Paul, marking his shift from illustration towards monumental painting.
- 1911Died aged 58 on 9 November in Florence, Italy, where he had gone to further his study of painting. He is remembered as the Father of American Illustration.
Notable Works
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Howard Pyle prints
Hand-finished archival prints from Howard Pyle's body of work.
The Mermaid - Howard Pyle
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So the Treasure Was Divided - Howard Pyle
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Thomas Jefferson Writing the Declaration of Independence - Howard Pyle
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Guarded by Rough English Soldiers - Howard Pyle
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A Wolf Had Not Been Seen at Salem for Thirty Years - Howard Pyle
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There is a time to fight, and that time has now come - Howard Pyle
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See all Howard Pyle prints →Frequently Asked Questions
How did howard pyle die?
Howard Pyle died in 1911 at the age of 58.What did howard pyle write?
Howard Pyle wrote The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, which earned praise from William Morris. He also wrote The Garden Behind the Moon, a children's book about death.What was howard pyle famous for?
The provided passages do not contain information about what Howard Pyle was famous for; therefore, the answer is null.When did howard pyle write king arthur?
The provided passages do not contain information about when Howard Pyle wrote King Arthur; therefore, the answer is null.When did howard pyle write robin hood?
Howard Pyle wrote The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood in 1883. This book earned praise from William Morris and established him as both a writer and illustrator.Who is howard pyle?
The biography states that Howard Pyle was an artist and teacher. He taught at his school in Wilmington, Delaware, and Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, for free.Who was howard pyle?
Howard Pyle was an artist and teacher who lived from 1853 to 1911. He taught N.C. Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish, Jessie Willcox Smith, and others.What is howard pyle known as today?
The provided passages do not contain information about what Howard Pyle is known as today; therefore, the answer is null.When did howard pyle live?
Howard Pyle was born in 1853 and died in 1911. He lived nearly his entire life in Wilmington, except for a brief period studying in New York and a trip to Florence where he died.Where was howard pyle born?
Howard Pyle was born in 1853 in United States. Howard Pyle died in 1911, aged 58.How many books did howard pyle write?
Howard Pyle wrote The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood and The Garden Behind the Moon. Additional information about the number of books he wrote is not available in the provided text.
Sources
Editorial draws on the following primary and tertiary references for Howard Pyle.
- [1] book Carol Strickland and John Boswell, The Annotated Mona Lisa _ba crash course in art history from prehistoric to post-modern _cCarol Strickland and John Boswell Used for: biography.
- [2] book Carol Strickland and John Boswell, The Annotated Mona Lisa _ba crash course in art history from prehistoric to post-modern _cCarol Strickland and John Boswell_1 Used for: biography.
- [3] book Carol Strickland and John Boswell, The Annotated Mona Lisa _ba crash course in art history from prehistoric to post-modern _cCarol Strickland and John Boswell_2 Used for: biography.
Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-06-28. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.
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