QQuuaakkeerr HHiillll HHiisttoorriicc Prreeseervvaattiioon FFoouunnddaattiioonn VVooll.. 33,, NNuummbbeerr 11,, WWiinntteerr,, 22-01144 552211 NN.. WWeesstt SSttrreeeett ((330022))665555--22550000 QuakerQuakerWWiillmiinnggttonn DDEE 119980011 HillHill wwQuillQuillwww..qquuaakkeerrhiilllhhiisttoorriicc..oorrg Howard Pyle, Media Star (1853 - 1911) by Carol Clapham th th at Drexel Institute of Art, Science and Industry, gave At the turn of the 19 to the 20 century, Howard periodic classes at the Art Students League in New Pyle was a media persona of the entertainment world, York City, and ultimately, the Howard Pyle School of akin to a “Rock Star” today. In times before TV, Illustration Art in Wilmington, with summer classes radio, and movies, children and adults both waited in Chadds Ford. Among his students were Maxfield with anticipation for the latest magazine article or Parrish, Harvey Dunn, Stanley Arthur, Violet Oakley, book illustrated by Howard Pyle, or even authored by Elizabeth Shippen Green, Jessie Wilcox Smith, Ellen Pyle. According to Henry C. Pitz, author of The Bernard Thompson Pyle, NC Wyeth, and Frank Brandywine Schoonover. At a time when few women were taught School, Pyle “commercial art”, 40 of his students were women. He “used ground- helped students secure contracts to illustrate books breaking color, and magazines and create book and magazine covers. dramatic compo- After her husband’s death, sister-in-law Ellen Pyle sition, and emo- supported her children with income from covers for tional impact”; The Saturday Evening Post. his illustrations Howard Pyle’s parents, William and Margaret Pyle, are full of move- were Quakers, but Margaret was read out of Meeting ment and visual because of her interest in the teachings of Emanuel excitement Swedenborg, and the family became Swedenborgian; which stimulate Howard attended Wilmington Friends School at the imagination Fourth and West streets even today. Pyle until his lack of interest in loved stories and studying led his parents to myths, and give up on college, and introduced send him at age 16 to study America to the with Adolph Van der Arthurian Howard Pyle & his daughter Phoebe, photo by Frances Benjamin Johnson. (Library of Weilen in Philadelphia for Legend, Robin Congress) 3 years. He then set up a Hood, and tales studio in Wilmington while of pirates. He illustrated histories by Henry Cabot helping his father in his Lodge and Woodrow Wilson, poetry for William Dean leather business, badly Howells, fiction for Mark Twain, Robert Lewis impacted by the Civil War. Stevenson, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and other major He was published in authors of the time. Scribner’s Monthly in 1876 and moved to New York Artists continue to portray pirates as Pyle painted City where his association them, in movies (Pirates of the Caribbean), books, Pirates were among PyleÕs with the Art Students most famous, iconic images. and cartoons (Sponge Bob Square Pants). Norman League during 1876-79 Rockwell named him his hero. Contemporary artists continued on page 2 such as James Gurney (Dinotopia), Peter de Seve (New Yorker magazine covers and characters in the In this issue: movie Ice Age), and the Pixar production designer w Howard Pyle, Media Star by Carol Clapham Page 1 Ralph Eggleston (Toy Story, Finding Nemo and WALL-E) cite Pyle as influencing their art and meth- w Origins of the Friends Meeting House , Part 2 ods. by Lisa Samson Page 2 Pyle created such exciting illustrations that other w Upcoming Events by Mary Starkweather-White Page 3 artists of the time came to learn from him; he taught w A View From the Hill by Jim Bierbaum Page 5 Page 2 Quaker Hill Qu ill v Wint er, 2014 Howard Pyle Pyle died unexpectedly of continued from page 1 Bright’s Disease in Florence, Italy, having helped him to become more commer- moved his family there to cially viable. Some of his fellow stu- study frescos by the dents were Ernest l. Durand, Edwin Renaissance masters so he Austin Abbey, William Merritt Chase, could improve his murals. F.S.Church, and J. Alden Weir. His Frank Schoonover was early illustrations, short stories and instrumental in saving his poems appeared in periodicals such as unsold paintings for Harper’s Weekly. Vincent van Gogh Wilmington by helping wrote his brother Theo that “there are form Wilmington Cultural things in (Harper’s) which strike me Society to buy and exhibit dumb with admiration, including the paintings so that Anne sketches of a Quaker town in the olden did not have support herself days by Howard Pyle.” by selling them off piece- Pyle grew up at Goodstay Manor, meal. Later this collection known as Green Hill when he was became part of the found- born in 1853, and now part of the UD ing collection of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Delaware Art Museum, When the leather business hit hard along with the Pre- times, they moved to 714 West Street. Raphaelite collection left He married Anne Poole in a Quaker by Samuel Bancroft. ceremony April 12, 1881; they moved Carol Clapham is Vice in with her mother at 607 Washington President of the QHHPF Street (no longer standing), and opened In ÒTory RefugeesÓ Pyle depicts loyalists fleeing Board and a Docent at a studio at 1305 Franklin Street, now north, an often ignored facet of the American the Delaware Art used and maintained by women artists Revolution, but one that touched Wilmington, Museum. (All images called Art Students League. Del. (Library of Congresss) are public doman) Origins of the Friends Meetinghouse at 4th & West (Part 2) by Lisa Samson 1 College's Friends Historical Library. In the November, 2012 Quill readers were prom- The more formally constructed parts of the ised a number of articles focused on documents building narrative are found in reports presented describing the building of the Friends at monthly Business Meetings, minutes of commit- Meetinghouse at 4th and West Streets in tee and sub-committee meetings, memos of agree- Wilmington. This second article examines some of ment with tradesmen, a check register, check the documentation that helps us to understand the stubs, an account book, and lists 2of members' building process that began with an idea for a new donations.On the 26th of 10th mo. 1815 a concern was meetinghouse in 1815 and ended with its comple- Fromopened one in ofthe the Preparative reports we meeting learn when relative to tion in 1817. Wilmingtonthe state of Friends our present first discussedmeetinghouse, the idea and fora a newnumber meetinghouse: of Friends in the course of the discussion Beginning in the fall of 1815, Quakers with well- of the subject having freely expressed their known names, such as Benjamin Ferris and views, it clearly appeared, that Friends of this Samuel Canby, and not-so-well-known names, meeting were not comfortably accommodated such as Thomas Spackman and Jesse Betts, were with a meeting place - that our meetings of First entrusted with overseeing the process of building day3 morning were unsuitably crowded and a new meetinghouse for Wilmington Friends. It's that some of our religiously disposed neighbors through the variety of documents these men gen- were restrained from sitting with us when erated as they worked on the project that we assembled for Divine Worship from a fear of know the story of its construction. They created a incommoding our own members. mix of what might be considered both formally created documents and more informal records, continued on page 4 with both types contributing to our understanding of how this meetinghouse came to be built. Today, almost two centuries after the first Meeting for Worship was held in the new meetinghouse, these And we learn who was initially charged with documents can be accessed at Swarthmore Qu ak er Hill Quill v Winte r, 2014 Page 3 Quaker Hill Historic Preservation Foundationn Upcoming Quaker Hill Events Honorary Board Three Underground Railroad Edward Asner Workshops for Children Lloyd S. Casson, M. Div Reuben Greenberg, M.A. Carter L. Hudgins, Ph.D. Thomas F. Schutte, Ph.D. Louis Stokes, J.D., M.C. The Quaker Hill Historic Preservation Foundation Advisory Board offers three, free Underground Railroad workshops David Ames, Ph.D. for children at 10:00 a.m. on certain Saturdays in Barbara Benson, Ph.D. January and February 2014 at the Wilmington Friends Daniel E. Bockover Meeting at 401 North West Street, Wilmington, DE. Paula Si. Chadis, M.A. The first workshop, presented by Patricia Lewis James C. Curtis, Ph.D. and Mia Muratori on January 25, 2014, the anniver- James McC. Geddes, Ph.D. sary of his death, features a story about a real-life Carol Hoffecker, Ph.D. Underground Railroad Stationmaster Thomas Garrett Patricia P. Lewis and Harriet Tubman, whose three brothers they Sonia Marin, M.A. helped escape at Christmas 160 years ago; artwork Timothy J. Mullin concerning the period; a visit to the gravesite of Barry Schnoll Thomas Garrett; and refreshments. Earl M. White, M.A., M.S.W. The second workshop, presented by Darleen Amobi Francis X. Tannian, Ph.D. on February 1, 2014, will feature the story of Harriet Tubman, both read aloud and on video; a craft; a re- Directors enactment by Willis Phelps of the life and times of a President Civil War veteran; a visit to the grave of Thomas Bayard Marin, J.D., Ph.D. Garrett; and refreshments. Vice President The third workshop, presented by Darlene Bonney Carol Clapham on February 22, 2014, will feature a dramatic story about Harriet Tubman; an arts-and-crafts project; Secretary and refreshments. Evelyn Brownlee 3/29/14The programs Solomon are free and and Thamar open to the Bayley public. Talk For Board Members more information, call Mary Starkweather-White at James Bierbaum (302) 299-5600.