Oakley, Thornton, 1881-1953

American artist Howard Pyle (1853-1911), who founded the Brandywine School of Art, was one of the pre-eminent illustrators of his time. Four of these students are represented in this collection: Thornton Oakley (1881-1953), Violet Oakley (1874-1961), Henry J. Peck (1880-1964), and Frank E. Schoonover (1877-1972).

From the description of Frank E. Schoonover - Thornton Oakley correspondence related to Howard Pyle, 1912-1953. (University of Delaware Library). WorldCat record id: 667710334

The illustrator Thornton Oakley (1881-1953) was a student of Howard Pyle, founder of the Brandywine School. Oakley illustrated numerous books and magazines, including Harper's, Century Magazine, Collier's Weekly, and Everybody's Magazine during the 20th century. Known for his paintings of industrial America, his work is found in the collections of numerous institutions, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, National Gallery of Art, Library of Congress, Boston Public Library, New York Public Library, and the British Museum.

From the description of Thornton and Amy Oakley collection, 1927-1949. (University of Delaware Library). WorldCat record id: 551775956

Thornton Oakley, illustrator, architect. Received B.S., 1901 and M.S., 1902 from the University of Pennsylvania. Studied art under Howard Pyle. Oakley was best known for his illustrations of industrial America.

From the description of Scrapbook, 1896-1901. (University of Pennsylvania). WorldCat record id: 122470425

Watercolorist and illustrator; Philadelphia, Pa.

From the description of Thornton Oakley papers, 1906-1953. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122571574

Illustrator and painter, of Pennsylvania; student of Howard Pyle.

From the description of Thornton Oakley papers, 1904-1983. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 70975898

Howard Pyle (1853-1911) was a famous American illustrator and writer, known primarily for his children's books and for his immense influence as a teacher of art and illustration. Pyle was born in Wilmington, Delaware. He studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia and the Arts Students League in New York. In 1894, he began teaching at the Drexel Institute of Art, Science, and Industry. Students in his first class included artists Maxfield Parrish, Jessie Wilcox Smith, and Elizabeth Shippen Green. In 1899, Pyle resigned from Drexel to open his own school in Wilmington, Delaware. Pyle married Anne Poole in 1881, and they had seven children. In 1910 Pyle moved to Italy, where he died in Florence, in 1911.

From the description of Thornton Oakley collection of Howard Pyle and his students, 1841-1992 1887-1951. (Franklin & Marshall College). WorldCat record id: 352886843

The illustrator Thornton Oakley (1881–1953) was a student of Howard Pyle, founder of the Brandywine School. Oakley illustrated numerous books and magazines, including Harper's , Century Magazine , Collier's Weekly , and Everybody's Magazine during the 20th century. Known for his paintings of industrial America, his work is found in the collections of numerous institutions, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, National Gallery of Art, Library of Congress, Boston Public Library, New York Public Library, and the British Museum.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Oakley graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in architecture. He then studied at Pyle's school in Wilmington, Delaware. During part of his time with Pyle, Oakley was in charge of the school's supply store. He was responsible for sales, inventory, and collecting students' monthly accounts. He married Amy Ewing in 1910, and they had one child. Together they published numerous travel books, which she wrote and he illustrated. In 1914, Oakley was hired to head the Department of Illustration at the Philadelphia Museum's School of Industrial Art, now the Philadelphia College of Art. He taught at the school until 1936. During World War II, the National Geographic Society commissioned 48 paintings of war plants and related topics.

Falk, Peter Hastings, ed. Who Was Who in American Art. Madison, Connecticut: Sound View Press, 1985. Pitz, Henry C. Howard Pyle: Writer, Illustrator, Founder of the Brandywine School. New York: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., 1975.

From the guide to the Thornton and Amy Oakley collection, 1927–1949, (University of Delaware Library - Special Collections)

The illustrator Thornton Oakley (1881–1953) was a student of Howard Pyle, founder of the Brandywine School. He is best known for his paintings of industrial America and many illustrations for books and periodicals.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Oakley graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in architecture. He then studied at Pyle's school in Wilmington, Delaware. During part of his time with Pyle, Oakley was in charge of the school's supply store. He was responsible for sales, inventory, and collecting students' monthly accounts.

He married Amy Ewing in 1910 and they had one child. Together they published numerous travel books, which she wrote and he illustrated. In 1914, Oakley was hired to head the Department of Illustration at the Philadelphia Museum's School of Industrial Art, now the Philadelphia College of Art. He taught at the school until 1936.

Oakley illustrated numerous books and magazines, including Harper's, Century Magazine, Collier's Weekly, and Everybody's Magazine . Known for paintings of industrial America, his work is found in the collections of numerous institutions including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, National Gallery of Art, Library of Congress, Boston Public Library, New York Public Library, and the British Museum.

Among Oakley's well-known works are six 12-foot murals which he painted for the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. During World War II, the National Geographic Society commissioned 48 paintings of war plants and related topics.

Falk, Peter Hastings (ed.). Who Was Who in American Art. Madison, CT: Sound View Press, 1985. Pitz, Henry C. Howard Pyle: Writer, Illustrator, Founder of the Brandywine School. New York: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., 1975. Woodmere Gallery. Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings by Thornton Oakley.

From the guide to the Thornton Oakley diaries, 1908, 1919–1953, (University of Delaware Library - Special Collections)

American artist Howard Pyle (1853–1911), who founded the Brandywine School of Art, was one of the pre-eminent illustrators of his time. Four of these students are represented in this collection: Thornton Oakley (1881–1953), Violet Oakley (1874–1961), Henry J. Peck (1880–1964), and Frank E. Schoonover (1877–1972). Pyle also maintained a successful painting and teaching career. Pyle taught at Drexel Institute in Philadelphia, at the Art Institute in Chicago, and at the Art Student League in New York. In 1898 with financial backing from Drexel Institute, Pyle founded a summer art school at Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania; the summer school proved successful and continued until 1903. In 1900 Pyle resigned his position at Drexel and founded the Howard Pyle School of Art in Wilmington. After his death many of his students worked tirelessly to collect much of his work into a repository, which ultimately became the Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington, Delaware.

Pyle's students were some of the most renowned American artists of the golden age of American illustration. Stanley Arthurs, Elizabeth Shippen Green Elliott, Gayle Hoskins, William H.D. Koerner, Thornton Oakley, Violet Oakley, Katharine Pyle, N. C. Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish, Henry J. Peck, Frank Schoonover, and Jessie Wilcox Smith were among the cadre of his famous students who created images that became part of the popular culture of the early twentieth century. The collection materials document the allegiance of four of his students to Pyle and their continuous respect for him as an artist, a mentor, and a teacher.

Thornton Oakley (1881–1953) was an illustrator who studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania and illustration with Howard Pyle. In 1914, Oakley was hired to head the Department of Illustration at the Philadelphia Museum's School of Industrial Art, now the Philadelphia College of Art, where he taught until 1936. He illustrated numerous books and magazines, including Harper's, Century Magazine, Collier's Weekly, and Scribner's Monthly . National Geographic published forty-eight of his paintings for the series "American Industries Geared for War," 1942, 1943, and 1945.

Violet Oakley (1874–1961) was one of the most-recognized women muralist of the twentieth century. Oakley studied in England and France. She also studied with Cecilia Beaux at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and with Howard Pyle at Drexel Institute. In 1905 after the completion of murals for the Pennsylvania state capitol, her artistic abilities were quickly noticed. Subsequently she became nationally famous as a muralist.

Henry J. Peck (1880–1964) studied at the Rhode Island School of Design prior to becoming one of Howard Pyle's students. Peck combined his art and writing in articles published in many of the well-read magazines of the early twentieth century such as The Saturday Evening Post, Harper's Weekly, Outing, Redbook, and Collier's .

Frank E. Schoonover (1877–1972) studied with Howard Pyle at Drexel Institute and his art school in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. Schoonover, who was self-taught, was Pyle's friend as well as his student. In his early career as an illustrator he produced work for the classics, children's books, and popular magazines. In 1899 Schoonover moved to Wilmington, Delaware, where he lived and worked the rest of his life. He had a ferocious appetite for documentation of the great outdoors and the North American frontier: cowboys, Native Americans, and Canadian trappers. Schoonover worked in different media and was an avid photographer. By the 1930s, like many of the illustrators, he had moved to easel painting and producing murals.

Reed, Walt and Roger. The Illustrator in America, 1880-1980 . New York: Madison Square Press, 1984

From the guide to the Frank E. Schoonover - Thornton Oakley correspondence related to Howard Pyle, 1912–1953, (University of Delaware Library - Special Collections)

Thornton Oakley (1881-1943) was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated in 1901 and 1902 from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.S. in Architecture and a M.S. in Architecture, respectively.

Oakley first studied with Howard Pyle at Chadd’s Ford Mill during the summer of 1902. He later studied with him at Pyle’s Franklin Street School in Wilmington, Delaware. Altogether, Oakley studied under Pyle for three years. He became an illustrator and writer for periodicals such as: Scribner’s, Century, Collier’s, and Harper’s Monthly . Oakley also received commissions to paint industrial subjects from the Pennsylvania Railroad, Philadelphia Electric Company, Sun Oil Company, the Franklin Institute, and many others.

From 1914 to 1919 and 1921 to 1936, he served as the Head of the Department of Illustration at the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art. During the 1914-1915 school year, Oakley also taught drawing at the University of Pennsylvania. During his career, he gave lectures at the Art Institute of Chicago, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Curtis Institute.

Oakley served as a member of the jury of selection and advisory committee of the Department of Fine Arts at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition held in San Francisco in 1915 and at the Philadelphia Sesquicentennial Exposition in 1926.

During World War I, lithographs of Oakley’s patriotic drawings of war work at Hog Island Shipyard in Philadelphia were distributed by the U.S. government. From 1938 to 1939, he completed six murals on the epochs of science at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Oakley also did three sets of war effort pictures for National Geographic in 1941, 1943, and 1945. In 1951, Oakley donated his collection of Howard Pyle material to the Free Library of Philadelphia. He died in 1953 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

Howard Pyle (1853-1911) was a famous American illustrator and writer, known primarily for children’s books including The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood and The Wonder Clock, and for his unique teaching style of art. Prevalent themes in his artwork were chivalry and adventure.

Pyle was born in Wilmington, Delaware. He studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia and the Arts Students League in New York. Pyle became an associate of the Academy in 1905 and was elected an Academician in 1907.

In 1894, he taught his first class at the Drexel Institute of Art, Science, and Industry. His students in his first class included artists Maxfield Parrish, Jessie Wilcox Smith, and Elizabeth Shippen Green. Pyle’s teaching and class popularity led to the creation of the School of Illustration within the Drexel Institute. In 1899, he resigned from Drexel because he felt he lacked sufficient time to devote to each of his pupils, due to the growth of the program. Pyle still wanted to teach however, and beginning in 1899, Pyle opened up his own school next to his studio on Franklin Street in Wilmington, Delaware. He maintained a relationship with Drexel however and continued to host intensive summer coursework in Chadd’s Ford, Pennsylvania.

As an art teacher, Pyle emphasized thought over technique, and offered nonstop assistance and critique to his students. At his school in Wilmington, each student’s education was free, aside from paying a small monthly fee that helped offset the expense of the studio. Another aspect of his teaching style was that there was no time restriction placed on his students’ education. Instead, Pyle informed students when he thought that his instruction was no longer needed.

Pyle married Anne Poole and had seven children. In 1910 Pyle moved to Italy and died in Florence in 1911.

Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966) was one of Howard Pyle’s first students at the Drexel Institute of Art, Science, and Industry. He was born in 1870 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. From 1884 to 1886, Parrish spent time in Europe with his parents and attended classes in the winter of 1884 at Dr. Kornemann’s school in Paris.

He graduated from Haverford College in 1892 and spent the summers of 1892 and 1893 studying art with his father in Massachusetts. From 1892 to 1894, Parrish took classes at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the Drexel Institute of Art Science and Industry, where he met his future wife, Lydia. They married in 1895.

In 1898 Parrish established his permanent home in Cornish, New Hampshire where he built his house and studio at “The Oaks.” He contracted tuberculosis in 1900 and spent the next two years convalescing between Saranac Lake, New York and Hot Springs, Arizona. Parrish continued to paint during this time.

A significant change in his artwork is seen in 1931. Prior, he painted romantic themes; but after 1931, Parrish only completed landscapes of rural scenes. He died in 1966.

Sydney Gross was born in 1897, and was an aspiring artist who corresponded with Maxfield Parrish.

Henry Clarence Pitz (1895-1965) was born in Philadelphia to parents Henry William and Anna Rosina Pitz. He studied art at the Philadelphia Museum College of Art from 1914 to 1918, as well as the Spring Garden Institute in Philadelphia in 1917 and 1920. A lifelong admirer of Howard Pyle, Pitz authored a book profiling the artist in The Brandywine Tradition, which was published in 1969. Pitz won a Philadelphia Athenaeum Literary Award for this work. Over the course of his career, Pitz authored and illustrated over 160 books on various topics, including children’s literature, history, and art technique.

Several of Pyle's students became influential women illustrators. They include Jessie Willcox Smith, Violet Oakley, and Elizabeth Shippen Green.

Jessie Willcox Smith, one of the best known American illustrators of the first half of the twentieth century, discovered her talent for art while teaching kindergarten. She studied at the Philadelphia School of Design for Women (now Moore College of Art and Design) and at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where she worked briefly with Thomas Eakins. By 1888, she had left the Academy to pursue work as an illustrator. Her first job was creating advertisements for Ladies Home Journal . In 1894, Smith began studying with Howard Pyle at Drexel Institute of Art, Science and Industry. She credited Pyle with starting her in the field and wrote that his teaching was invaluable. Violet Oakley entered the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1896, having studied art in England and France. After only one semester at the Academy, she became a student of Howard Pyle at Drexel Institute of Art, Science and Industry. Recognizing her sense of color and composition, Pyle encouraged Oakley to create stained glass windows and murals which she did throughout her life. Her most important commission was designing and executing murals for the new capitol in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Elizabeth Shippen Green studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts with Thomas Anshutz, Thomas Eakins and Robert Vonnoh. After graduation, Green illustrated articles for several Philadelphia newspapers and for the Strawbridge and Clothier department store. She also illustrated stories, articles and children’s pages for many leading magazines. In 1897, Green began taking courses at Drexel Institute of Art, Science and Industry with Howard Pyle. Green’s career spanned forty-four years. She illustrated over twenty books. The public knew her best from the illustrations she created for Harper’s Magazine over a twenty year period.

Bibliography:

(http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Pitz__Henry_C.html).

From the guide to the Thornton Oakley collection of Howard Pyle and his students, Bulk, 1887-1951, 1841-1992, (Free Library of Philadelphia: Rare Book Department)