N.C. Wyeth, the first of three generations of esteemed Wyeth artists, was a great illustrator who was renowned for his accuracy of historical detail. Wyeth learned quickly while studying under Howard Pyle. He sold his first cover illustration to The Saturday Evening Post when he was twenty-one. This 1903 cover featured a bucking bronco and rider--a western theme that would characterize much of Wyeth's early work.He travelled west to gain first-hand knowledge of his subject matter, and worked on a ranch as a cowhand while taking  photographs  and  drawing sketches of cowboys and Indians. He gained a reputation for his depictions of the Wild West, and illustrated many well-known western books in addition to his magazine work. Another favorite subject was that of eastern woodland Indians shown in solitude,at peace with their environment. These no doubt reflect Wyeth's admiration for Emerson and Thoreau, and their views of Nature.

N.C. Wyeth is also well-known for his illustrations of historical novels, children"s classics, and epic tales of adventure. The seventeen paintings he produced for the 1911 edition of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson are often thought to be his finest group for a single publication.From 1911 to 1939 he received many commissions to illustrate popular novels and classics including such works as The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper, Robin Hood by Paul Creswick,Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving,and The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.During his forty-three year career Wyeth produced more than 2,000 illustrations, and still found time between assignments and commissions to do what he loved most, devote time to easel painting. Throughout his life he continued to paint landscapes, and, for a time, he painted still lifes of surprising diversity.

INTRODUCTION

WESTERN ACTION

AND SPORTING LIFE

BOOK AND MAGAZINE

ILLUSTRATIONS

COMMERCIAL ILLUSTRATIONS

CALENDARS, AND MURALS

LANDSCAPES AND

STILL LIFES

LIST OF COLOR PLATES