The Master of the Black Arts Bringeth a Curious Little Black Hen to the King, for "The Wonder Clock"

Howard Pyle

1887 · Pen and black ink · Drawings and Prints

Pyle is considered the father of American illustration. Born in Wilmington, Delaware, he became interested in art and writing as a boy, studied in Philadelphia and then New York, at the Art Students League. In 1878, a drawing accepted by Harper's Weekly helped to launch his career and the artist returned to Delaware in 1880. Over the next three decades Pyle wrote and illustrated a series of now iconic works and became an influential teacher. Aware of contemporary European innovations, he skillfully adapted his style to suit a range of subjects. This design first appeared in Harper's "Young People," February 23,1886 titled "The Master of Black Arts with a Hen," and was used to illustrate the story "The Clever Student and Master of the Black-Arts" Here, the artist redrew it for "The Wonder Clock," a book published by Harper Brothers in 1888. The related image appears in story V on page 58.

Artist

Howard Pyle

Date

1887

Medium

Pen and black ink

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1926; transfered to the Print Department, 1967