Felix Octavius Carr ("F. O. C.") Darley (June 23, 1822 – March 27, 1888) was an American illustrator, known for his illustrations in works by well-known 19th-century authors, including James Fenimore Cooper, Charles Dickens, Mary Mapes Dodge, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Washington Irving, George Lippard, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Donald Grant Mitchell, Clement Clarke Moore, Francis Parkman, Harriet Beecher Stowe and Nathaniel Parker Willis.

Biography

Darley was born on June 23, 1822, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Darley was a self-taught and prolific artist who started out as a staff artist for a Philadelphia publishing company, where he was given a wide variety of assignments. He later moved to New York City, and his work began to appear in magazines such as ''Harper's Weekly'' and in books by various publishers. Darley made 500 drawings for Benson John Lossing's ''History of the United States''. Among his lithography, lithographic illustrations are those for Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", and some scenes in Indian life. The swing and vigor of his style, his facility, and versatility and the high average merit of his numerous works, make him one of the most noteworthy of American illustrators. Darley signed a contract with Edgar Allan Poe on January 31, 1843, to create original illustrations for his upcoming literary journal ''The Stylus''. The contract, which was through July 1, 1844, requested at least three illustrations per month, "on wood or paper as required," but no more than five, for $7 per illustration. ''The Stylus'' was never actually produced but Darley provided illustrations for the final installments of the first serial publication of Poe's award-winning tale "The Gold-Bug" later that year. In 1848, Darley provided the drawings for the first fully illustrated edition of Irving's "Rip Van Winkle",Burstein, Andrew. ''The Original Knickerbocker: The Life of Washington Irving''. New York: Basic Books, 2007: 337. which was printed and distributed by the American Art-Union.Callow, James T. ''Kindred Spirits: Knickerbocker Writers and American Artists, 1807–1855''. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1967: 184. That same year, Darley also illustrated an edition of Irving's ''The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.'' and then his ''Washington Irving#Wolfert's Roost, Wolfert's Roost'' in 1855. In 1851, Darley was elected into the National Academy of Design as an honorary member. In 1852, he was appointed a full academician at the academy. Darley married Genny G. Colburn in 1859. Over his career, he produced nearly 350 drawings for James Fenimore Cooper, later collected in a several-volume edition of Cooper's novels printed from 1859 to 1861. In 1868, following a visit to Europe, he published ''Sketches Abroad with Pen and Pencil''. His Watercolor painting, water color paintings of incidents in American history are full of spirit and include Money, bank-note Vignette (graphic design), vignettes. Darley died in 1888 at his home in Claymont, Delaware, and was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His Victorian architecture, Victorian mansion, located in Claymont, is now known as the Darley House and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

Illustrations

File:Diedrich Knickerbocker.jpg, Frontispiece for Washington Irving's ''A History of New York'' Image:F. O. C. Darley illustration - A Visit From Saint Nicholas - 1862 - Project Gutenberg eText 17382.jpg, Darley illustration from an 1862 print of ''A Visit From St. Nicholas'' by Clement Clarke Moore Image:Ichabods chase.jpg, Illustration for Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" File:On The Trail F.O.C Darley.jpg, ''On The Trail'', now housed at Walters Art Museum in Baltimore File:F.O.C. Darley and Alexander Hay Ritchie - Sherman's March to the Sea.jpg, ''Sherman's March to the Sea'', now housed at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

References

Notes
Attribution *

External links

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Illustrations by FOC Darley, American Illustrator 1821-1888A Visit from St. Nicholas
by Clement Clarke Moore, in an 1862 edition illustrated by F. O. C. Darley, from Project Gutenberg
The Winterthur Library
Overview of an archival collection on F. O. C. Darley.
Society of Illustrators Felix Octavius Carr Darley''A Visit from Saint Nicholas''
From the Collections at the Library of Congress
Artwork by F. O. C. Darley
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Darley, F. O. C. 1822 births 1888 deaths 19th-century American male artists 19th-century American painters American illustrators American male painters American printmakers Artists from Philadelphia Burials at Mount Auburn Cemetery People from Claymont, Delaware