Brandywine River Museum
Chadds Ford, PA
(610) 388-2700
www.brandywinemuseum.org
Inventing the American Past: The Art of
F.O.C. Darley
September 11 - November 21, 1999
For more than 40 years, Felix Octavius
Carr Darley (1822-1888) dominated American book and magazine publishing,
becoming one of the best-known illustrators of his time. By collaborating
closely with writers such as Washington Irving, Darley helped popularize
such American icons as the Pilgrim, the Pioneer, the Minuteman and the Yankee
Peddler.
Beginning
September 11, 1999 Inventing the American Past: The Art of F.O.C. Darley
celebrates Darley's accomplishments. Organized by the New York Public Library
and Brandywine River Museum, the exhibition is the first retrospective of
Darley in over 20 years. Drawing from its extensive collection of works
by the artist, the New York Public Library presents 58 prints and drawings
chronicling Darley's career. To complement this traveling exhibition, the
Brandywine River Museum has added 50 original paintings and drawings from
its collection and other sources. (left: Felix Octavius Carr Darley
(1822-1888), Touchstone and Audrey, 1886)
Darley's career began modestly when he provided illustrations
for Philadelphia magazines and newspapers. His first independent projects,
published in 1843, were a series of outline drawings depicting the "noble
savage" in Sketches in Indian Life, and pen drawings of Philadelphia
street life for In Town and About. They brought him quick recognition.
Moving to New York in 1848, Darley began a long association with Washington
Irving and won fame with his memorable illustrations for Rip Van Winkle,
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Tales of a Traveler and the monumental
five-volume Life of George Washington.
So great was the demand for Darley's work that new books
were promoted as "illustrated by Darley." Because his work outshone
his contemporaries, he enjoyed independent commissions for drawings, paintings
and large-scale designs for engravings and lithographs. His fame and close
ties with artists, authors and publishers allowed him to leave New York
and settle in the quiet village of Claymont, Delaware in 1859.
One of the crowning points of Darley's career was his illustrations
for the complete works of James Fenimore Cooper. The project involved designs
for 64 steel engravings and 120 wood engravings. The success of this undertaking
led to publication of The Cooper Vignettes which showcased the artist's
works.
Read more about the Brandywine
River Museum in the Resource Library
rev. 10/18/10
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reserved.
Beginning
September 11, 1999 Inventing the American Past: The Art of F.O.C. Darley
celebrates Darley's accomplishments. Organized by the New York Public Library
and Brandywine River Museum, the exhibition is the first retrospective of
Darley in over 20 years. Drawing from its extensive collection of works
by the artist, the New York Public Library presents 58 prints and drawings
chronicling Darley's career. To complement this traveling exhibition, the
Brandywine River Museum has added 50 original paintings and drawings from
its collection and other sources. (left: Felix Octavius Carr Darley
(1822-1888), Touchstone and Audrey, 1886)