Frank Ver Beck
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William Francis Ver Beck (June 1, 1858 – July 13, 1933) was an American
illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicate ...
known for his comedic drawings of animals.


Biography

Ver Beck was born in
Richland Township, Belmont County, Ohio Richland Township is one of the sixteen townships of Belmont County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census found 14,681 people in the township. Geography Located in the central part of the county, it borders the following townships: * Wheeling To ...
as the son of a shoemaker. He studied art and woodcarving under
Mansfield, Ohio Mansfield is a city in Richland County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 47,534 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located approximately from Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio, Columbus via Interstate 71, it i ...
artist Robert R. "Railroad" Smith and worked as a wood engraver. In 1881 or 1882, Ver Beck moved to New York City. There he studied art and became a freelance illustrator for magazines including ''
Scribner's Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner's or Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City that has published several notable American authors, including Henry James, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Marjo ...
'', '' The Ladies Home Journal'', and ''
Collier's } ''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter F. Collier, Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened i ...
''. In 1894 in ''
Munsey's Magazine ''Munsey's Magazine'' was an American magazine founded by Frank Munsey in 1889 as ''Munsey's Weekly'', a humor magazine edited by John Kendrick Bangs. It was unsuccessful, and by late 1891 had lost $100,000 ($ in ). Munsey converted it into ...
'', Harold Payne wrote:
For quaintness of conceit and weirdness of treatment William Francis Ver Beck has no parallel. His specialty is in making animals, and particularly reptiles, to represent human beings in comical situations. He invests crocodiles, turtles, lizards, frogs, and other amphibiae with human attributes, places them in all sorts of ludicrous positions, and carries them through endless laughable experiences. He even descends to the vegetable kingdom for his subjects, and invests cabbages, carrots, and beets with the power of lingual communication. Indeed, Ver Beck might well be designated as the artistic
Aesop Aesop ( ; , ; c. 620–564 BCE; formerly rendered as Æsop) was a Greeks, Greek wikt:fabulist, fabulist and Oral storytelling, storyteller credited with a number of fables now collectively known as ''Aesop's Fables''. Although his existence re ...
of the time.
Ver Beck was one of author
Stephen Crane Stephen Crane (November 1, 1871 – June 5, 1900) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer. Prolific throughout his short life, he wrote notable works in the Realist tradition as well as early examples of American Naturalism an ...
's first friends in New York City. One winter evening Crane and British artist Phil May borrowed a tiger skin belonging to Ver Beck and were arrested walking huddled under the skin on
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...
in the early morning hours. They were released but the policeman kept the tiger skin. Also in New York City, in 1895 Ver Beck witnessed the shooting of Solomon Mann by David Hannigan and testified in Hannigan's trial. Shortly before World War I, Ver Beck moved to England. In 1913 he was working in
St Ives, Cornwall St Ives (, meaning "Ia of Cornwall, St Ia's cove") is a seaside town, civil parish and port in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town lies north of Penzance and west of Camborne on the coast of the Celtic Sea. In former times, it was comm ...
with his wife, the American-born artist and writer
Hanna Rion Hannah or Hanna may refer to: People, biblical figures, and fictional characters * Hannah (name), a female given name of Hebrew origin * Hanna (Arabic name), a family and a male given name of Christian Arab origin * Hanna (Irish surname) (inclu ...
, (1875—1924). Their relationship ended and she remarried in 1921. He died at the age of 75 in
Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
.


Published books

* ''Half-Hours with JimmieBoy'' by
Albert Bigelow Paine Albert Bigelow Paine (July 10, 1861 – April 9, 1937) was an American author and biographer best known for his work with Mark Twain. Paine was a member of the Pulitzer Prize Committee and wrote in several genres, including fiction, humor, and ...
; R. H. Russell, New York (1893) * ''The Book of Lies'' by John Langdon Heaton; The Morse Co. (1896) * ''The Dumpies'' by
Albert Bigelow Paine Albert Bigelow Paine (July 10, 1861 – April 9, 1937) was an American author and biographer best known for his work with Mark Twain. Paine was a member of the Pulitzer Prize Committee and wrote in several genres, including fiction, humor, and ...
; R. H. Russell, New York AND Kegan Paul, Trench, Trűbner & Co., London (1897) * ''The Arkansas Bear'' by
Albert Bigelow Paine Albert Bigelow Paine (July 10, 1861 – April 9, 1937) was an American author and biographer best known for his work with Mark Twain. Paine was a member of the Pulitzer Prize Committee and wrote in several genres, including fiction, humor, and ...
; R. H. Russell, New York (1898). Reprinted by Henry Altemus Co., Philadelphia (1902) * ''The Three Bears''; R. H. Russell, New York (1899) – an edition of "
Goldilocks and the Three Bears "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" is a 19th-century English fairy tale of which three versions exist. The original version of the tale tells of an impudent old woman who enters the forest home of three anthropomorphic bachelor bears while th ...
" * ''Acrobatic Animals''; R. H. Russell, New York (1899) * ''Beasts and Birds'' (1900) No information about this book can be found. Not found in the Library of Congress catalog or Publishers' Weekly. If the book exists, it is not the one from The American Tract Society. * ''The Little Boy Book'' by Helen Hay; R. H. Russell, New York (1900) *''A Handbook of Golf for Bears''; R. H. Russell, New York (1900) * ''
A New Wonderland ''The Surprising Adventures of the Magical Monarch of Mo and His People'' (copyright registered June 17, 1896) is the first full-length children's fantasy novel by L. Frank Baum. Originally published in 1899 as ''A New Wonderland, Being the Firs ...
'' by
L. Frank Baum Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's fantasy books, particularly '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', part of a series. In addition to the 14 ''Oz'' books, Baum penned 41 other novels ...
; R. H. Russell, New York (1900) – original title of ''The Magical Monarch of Mo'' (see image) * ''Two Thousand Miles on an Automobile'' by "Chauffeur" seud. of Arthur Jerome Eddy J. B. Lippincott Co., New York (1902) * ''Barbara Ladd'' by Charles G. D. Roberts; The American News Co., New York (1902) * ''The Book of Bugs'' by Harvey Sutherland; Street & Smith, New York and London (1902) * ''The Surprising Adventures of
The Magical Monarch of Mo ''The Surprising Adventures of the Magical Monarch of Mo and His People'' (copyright registered June 17, 1896) is the first full-length children's fantasy novel by L. Frank Baum. Originally published in 1899 as ''A New Wonderland, Being the Firs ...
and His People'' by
L. Frank Baum Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's fantasy books, particularly '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', part of a series. In addition to the 14 ''Oz'' books, Baum penned 41 other novels ...
; The Bobbs-Merrill Co., Indianapolis (1903) – a lightly revised edition of ''
A New Wonderland ''The Surprising Adventures of the Magical Monarch of Mo and His People'' (copyright registered June 17, 1896) is the first full-length children's fantasy novel by L. Frank Baum. Originally published in 1899 as ''A New Wonderland, Being the Firs ...
'' * ''Poketown People: Parables in Black'' by Ella Middleton Tybout; J. B. Lippincott Co., New York (1904) * ''Told by Uncle Remus: New Stories of the Old Plantation'' by Joel Chandler Harris; McClure, Phillips & Co., New York (1905) * ''Ver Beck's Book of Bears''; J. B. Lippincott Co., New York (1906) * ''The Adventures of JouJou'' by Edith MacVane; J. B. Lippincott Co., New York (1906) * ''Elsie and the Arkansaw Bear'' by
Albert Bigelow Paine Albert Bigelow Paine (July 10, 1861 – April 9, 1937) was an American author and biographer best known for his work with Mark Twain. Paine was a member of the Pulitzer Prize Committee and wrote in several genres, including fiction, humor, and ...
; Henry Altemus Co., Philadelphia (1909) * ''The Fall of Ulysses'' by Charles Dwight Willard; George H. Doran Co., New York (1912) * ''Ver Beck's Bears in Mother Goose-Land'' New Lines by Hanna Rion (wife of Frank Ver Beck); George H. Doran Co. New York AND Humphrey Milford, London
915 Year 915 ( CMXV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – Battle of Garigliano: The Christian League, personally led by Pope John X, lays siege to Garigliano (a fortified Ar ...
ref>The Publishers' Weekly. Volume 88, Nov. 20, 1915
Ver Beck's Little Story Books: *''The Little Lost Bear''; Henry Frowde and Hodder & Stoughton, London (1915); reprinted by Humphrey Milford, London Published in America as ''A Short Little Tale from Bruintown''; Frederick A. Stokes Co., New York (1915) *''Timothy Turtle's Great Day''; Henry Frowde and Hodder & Stoughton, London (1916) AND Frederick A. Stokes Co., New York (1916); reprinted by Humphrey Milford, London. * ''The Donkey Child''; Humphrey Milford, London (1918) * ''The Elephant Child; Humphrey Milford, London (1920)'' * ''The Little Cat Who Journeyed to St. Ives''; Humphrey Milford, London (1921) * ''The Little Lost Lamb''; Humphrey Milford, London (1922) * ''Piggywiggen: A Little Pig Who Went to Market''; Humphrey Milford, London (1924) Another Bear Book * ''The Little Bear Who Ran Away From Bruintown''; Small, Maynard and Co., Boston (1923) Wee Books for Wee Folks. These were all reprinted later by The Platt & Munk Co. Inc., New York: * ''Flapsy Flopper of the Farm Yard'' by May Wynne; Henry Altemus Co., Philadelphia (1925) * ''Hootie Toots of Hollow Tree'' by May Wynne; Henry Altemus Co., Philadelphia (1925) * ''Little Black Sambo and the Baby Elephant''; Henry Altemus Co., Philadelphia (1925) * ''Little Black Sambo and the Tiger Kitten''; Henry Altemus Co., Philadelphia (1926) * ''Little Black Sambo and the Monkey People''; Henry Altemus Co., Philadelphia (1929) * ''Little Black Sambo in the Bear's Den''; Henry Altemus Co., Philadelphia (1930) * ''Little Black Sambo and the Crocodiles''; Henry Altemus Co., Philadelphia (1930) Later Books * ''The Arkansas Bear Complete'' by
Albert Bigelow Paine Albert Bigelow Paine (July 10, 1861 – April 9, 1937) was an American author and biographer best known for his work with Mark Twain. Paine was a member of the Pulitzer Prize Committee and wrote in several genres, including fiction, humor, and ...
; Henry Altemus Co., Philadelphia ( (1929) - a compilation of the earlier two Arkansaw Bear books *''The Bedtime Animal Story Book''; The Platt & Munk Co. Inc., New York (1935) - a compilation of Ver Beck's first two Wee Books for Wee Folks, along with two other stories. *''The Little Black Sambo Story Book''; The Platt & Munk Co. Inc., New York (1935) - a compilation of Helen Bannerman's original story plus Ver Beck's five Wee Books for Wee Folks. * ''Bobbylinkapoo'' by Theodore Marburg; Dorrance and Co., Philadelphia (1937)


References


External links

* * * Note: as of 2016-07-01, LC Online Catalog search for 'frank verbeck' (no space) hits at least 10 more records for Frank Ver Beck. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ver Beck, Frank 1858 births 1933 deaths American illustrators People from Belmont County, Ohio