The paintings by Howard Pyle became a part of the Kellogg Library’s collection due to the close friendship of Pyle and Alonzo Weston Kimball, a successful Green Bay business leader gifted the paintings to the community. Howard Pyle, a major celebrated American artist of the early 20th century, is known as "The Father of American Illustration". His books and magazine illustrations were highly sought after in the late 19th century. The Antiquarian's collection of Pyle paintings reflects all of the major types of subjects that Howard Pyle painted, including adventure fiction (illustrated works of Robin Hood, pirates, and King Arthur) and American colonial life.
Pyle trained dozens of artists and his students dominated American illustration for a generation. In addition, he was close friends with some of the most prominent celebrities of his time, including Mark Twain, Oliver Wendell Homes, President Theodore Roosevelt, and future president Woodrow Wilson. Our Pyle collection constitutes the third largest collection of his work. The largest collection is at the Delaware Art Museum.
See also, Howard Pyle in Wisconsin Teacher's Resource Guide
See also, Howard Pyle in Wisconsin Teacher's Resource Guide
Oil on canvas (1901)
Oil on canvas (1901)
Oil on canvas (1901)
Oil on canvas (1901)
Oil on canvas (1901)
Oil on canvas (1901)
Oil on canvas (1901)
Oil on canvas (1901)
Oil on canvas (1901)
Oil on canvas (1901)
Oil on canvas (1901)
Oil on canvas (1901)
Oil on canvas (1901)
Oil on canvas (1901)
Oil on canvas (1901)
Oil on canvas (1901)
Oil on canvas (1901)
Oil on canvas (1901)
Oil on canvas (1902)
Four richly-colored paintings titled “Travels of the Soul” were some of
Pyle’s most personally treasured works done to illustrate his own
allegorical short story, bearing the same title, written for the December 1902 edition of The Century
Magazine. According to author and illustrator Henry C.
Pitz (a student of Pyle's) in The Brandywine Tradition (Houghton
Mifflin, 1969), Pyle’s original paintings as reproduced in the magazine
were “extraordinary examples” of the new four-color printing process
that heralded the golden years of American color illustration.
The-Wicket-of-Paradise
In-the-Meadows-of-Youth In-the-Valley-of-the-Shadow
At-the-Gates-of-Life
The Travels of the Soul consists of The Wicket of Paradise; In the
Meadows of Youth; In the Valley of the Shadows; and At the Gates of
Life. The story narrates the journey of the Soul – a lovely, winged
woman – as she leaves Paradise to follow the enchanting sound of the
pipes played by Death—a male figure in red and white robes.
In a sunlit meadow, she briefly encounters the radiant figure of Love, reminding her of the Paradise she left behind. The Soul once again hears and follows the pipes, and she struggles through dark forests and mountainous terrain until, in the Valley of the Shadows, encounters Grief. Grief orders the Soul to drink a bitter potion, and she is forced to rest. Again, Death plays his pipes, and the weary Soul continues through the Valley until she reaches a gigantic wooden door, which she cannot open. She cannot go forward nor can she return. The Soul asks Death what to do. Death speaks for the first time, assuring her that he, as her traveling-companion, will help her. He opens the door, and out floods the blinding light of Paradise. Death tells her that her journey has ended and she has returned home with the new wisdom and experience gained on her arduous journey – and admits he is not Death, but the angel known as Love.
In a sunlit meadow, she briefly encounters the radiant figure of Love, reminding her of the Paradise she left behind. The Soul once again hears and follows the pipes, and she struggles through dark forests and mountainous terrain until, in the Valley of the Shadows, encounters Grief. Grief orders the Soul to drink a bitter potion, and she is forced to rest. Again, Death plays his pipes, and the weary Soul continues through the Valley until she reaches a gigantic wooden door, which she cannot open. She cannot go forward nor can she return. The Soul asks Death what to do. Death speaks for the first time, assuring her that he, as her traveling-companion, will help her. He opens the door, and out floods the blinding light of Paradise. Death tells her that her journey has ended and she has returned home with the new wisdom and experience gained on her arduous journey – and admits he is not Death, but the angel known as Love.
In
2012, the Neville Public Museum placed in our collection five original
plates for printing for the Century Magazine Vol. XLIV no. 8 Dec. 1902.
They are story boards written by Howard Pyle on the “The Travels of the
Soul.” Apparently they were given to the Museum in the 1990’s by the
Brown County Library. There is some water damage and they will need to
be conserved for the exhibit. Otherwise they are in good condition.
Included and accompanying the plates were two black ink drawings:
An
untitled Eskimo Hunting scene by Robert Mayokok (1903-1983), signed, in
good condition, 12”w x 8.5”. Mayokok’s work is highly collectible.
