Howard Pyle

Howard Pyle (born March 5, 1853, Wilmington, Del., U.S.—died Nov. 9, 1911, Florence) was an American illustrator, painter, and author, best known for the children’s books that he wrote and illustrated. Robin Shooteth His Last Shaft, draw by Howard Pyle for The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, 1883. Pyle studied at the Art Students’ League, New York City, and first attracted attention by his line drawings after the style of Albrecht Dürer. His magazine and book illustrations are among the finest of the turn-of-the-century period in the Art Nouveau style. Pyle wrote original children’s stories as well as retelling old fairy tales. Many of Pyle’s children’s stories, illustrated by the author with vividness and historical accuracy, have become classics—most notably The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood (1883); Otto of the Silver Hand (1888); Jack Ballister’s Fortunes (1895); and his own folktales, Pepper & Salt (1886), The Wonder Clock (1888), and The Garden Behind the Moon (1895).