Frederic Dorr Steele
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Frederic Dorr Steele (August 6, 1873 – July 6, 1944) 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 ...
best known for his work on
Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Hol ...
's
Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...
stories.


Early life and education

Steele was born on 6 August 1873 at Eagle Mills, near
Marquette, Michigan Marquette ( ) is the county seat of Marquette County, Michigan, Marquette County and the largest city in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, United States. Located on the shores of Lake Superior, Marquette is a major port known primarily for shippin ...
. He was the first of three children born to William Henry Steele and Zulma De Lacy Steele, née Dorr. In 1876, his family moved to
Appleton, Wisconsin Appleton () is the county seat of Outagamie County, Wisconsin, United States, with small portions extending into Calumet County, Wisconsin, Calumet and Winnebago County, Wisconsin, Winnebago counties. Located on the Fox River (Green Bay tributary ...
. His brother Joseph Dorr Steele was born in 1879, and his sister
Zulma Steele Zulma Steele (1881–1979) was an American visual artist, and is one of the pioneering women of the Arts and Crafts movement and Modernism in New York. Arts journalist for the ''New York Times,'' Grace Glueck noted that Steele was a "progressive- ...
was born in 1881. The family moved to
Rutland, Vermont Rutland, Vermont may refer to: *Rutland (city), Vermont *Rutland (town), Vermont *Rutland County, Vermont *West Rutland, Vermont West Rutland is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,214 at the 2020 census. The ...
in 1889. Steele was encouraged to pursue his artistic inclinations by his mother, who was an artist, and also by his maternal grandmother, author Julia C. R. Dorr. By the age of 16, he had decided to become a professional artist. He went to
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
in 1889 to acquire the necessary training and experience. He studied at the
Art Students' League The Art Students League of New York is an art school in the American Fine Arts Society in Manhattan, New York City. The Arts Students League is known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may study fu ...
and the
National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Frederick Styles Agate, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, an ...
.


Career


Overview

While studying art, Steele supported himself for three years by working as an architectural draftsman. He next served a two-year apprenticeship in the
Harper Harper may refer to: Names * Harper (name), a surname and given name and place names, for example: Harper Islands, Nunavut. Places ;in Canada * Harper Islands, Nunavut * Harper, Prince Edward Island ;In the United States *Harper, former name ...
publishing firm's art department. He worked for ''The Illustrated American'' from 1896 to 1897, and then moved into
freelance ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...
illustration An illustration is a decoration, interpretation, or visual explanation of a text, concept, or process, designed for integration in print and digitally published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, vi ...
. He made his first attempt at color illustration for Mary Catherine Lee's story "The Wheel of Time", which appeared in the November 1900 issue of ''
Scribner's Magazine ''Scribner's Magazine'' was an American periodical published by the publishing house of Charles Scribner's Sons from January 1887 to May 1939. ''Scribner's Magazine'' was the second magazine out of the Scribner's firm, after the publication of ...
''. His work for ''Scribner's'' also included the use of color tints for two Sewell Ford horse stories, published in 1901 and 1902 respectively. In 1902, Steele was elected a member of the
Society of Illustrators The Society of Illustrators (SoI) is a professional society based in New York City. It was founded in 1901 to promote the art of illustration and, since 1959, has held an annual exhibition. Since absorbing the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (M ...
. Arthur Hoeber wrote an article about Steele that was published in the April 1901 issue of ''The Book Buyer''. According to Hoeber's article, Steele used various media to produce art but preferred crayon, which for him was the most immediately expressive medium. He continued to favor crayon throughout his career. Hoeber also wrote that Steele admired the work of multiple artists including Steinlen, Lepère, and others. Magazines for which Steele did illustrations included ''
The Century Magazine ''The Century Magazine'' was an illustrated monthly magazine first published in the United States in 1881 by The Century Company of New York City, which had been bought in that year by Roswell Smith and renamed by him after the Century Associati ...
'', ''
McClure's ''McClure's'' or ''McClure's Magazine'' (1893–1929) was an American illustrated monthly periodical popular at the turn of the 20th century. The magazine is credited with having started the tradition of muckraking journalism (investigative journ ...
'', ''
The American Magazine ''The American Magazine'' was a periodical publication founded in June 1906, a continuation of failed publications purchased a few years earlier from publishing mogul Miriam Leslie. It succeeded '' Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly'' (1876–1904) ...
'', '' Metropolitan Magazine'', ''
Woman's Home Companion ''Woman's Home Companion'' was an American monthly magazine, published from 1873 to 1957. It was highly successful, climbing to a circulation peak of more than four million during the 1930s and 1940s. The magazine, headquartered in Springfield, O ...
'' and ''
Everybody's Magazine ''Everybody's Magazine'' was an American magazine published from 1899 to 1929. The magazine was headquartered in New York City. History and profile The magazine was founded by Philadelphia merchant John Wanamaker in 1899, though he had little r ...
'' (for which he was art editor during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
). Steele provided illustrations for various novels such as
Richard Harding Davis Richard Harding Davis (April 18, 1864 – April 11, 1916) was an American journalist and writer of fiction and drama, known foremost as the first American war correspondent to cover the Spanish–American War, the Second Boer War, and World War ...
's ''The Scarlet Car'' (1907),
E. W. Hornung Ernest William Hornung (7 June 1866 – 22 March 1921) was an English author and poet known for writing the A. J. Raffles series of stories about a gentleman thief in late 19th-century London. Hornung was educated at Uppingham School; a ...
's ''The Crime Doctor'' (1914), and Geraldine Bonner's ''The Black Eagle Mystery'' (1916). His career as a magazine illustrator declined with the coming of the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
, and he turned to newspapers, particularly the ''
New York Herald-Tribune The ''New York Herald Tribune'' was a newspaper published between 1924 and 1966. It was created in 1924 when Ogden Mills Reid of the ''New York Tribune'' acquired the ''New York Herald''. It was regarded as a "writer's newspaper" and competed ...
''. Steele produced illustrations for the newspaper's theatrical section. Between 1928 and 1944, some 200 illustrations by Steele representing many different plays appeared in the ''Herald-Tribune''. He illustrated a 1941 edition of
W. Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...
's ''
The Moon and Sixpence ''The Moon and Sixpence'' is a novel by W. Somerset Maugham, first published on 15 April 1919. It is told in episodic form by a first-person narrator providing a series of glimpses into the mind and soul of the central character, Charles Stri ...
''.


Sherlock Holmes illustrations

For ''
Collier's Weekly } ''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 1903, Steele was invited to do the illustrations for ''
The Return of Sherlock Holmes ''The Return of Sherlock Holmes'' is a 1905 collection of 13 Sherlock Holmes stories, originally published in 1903–1904, by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. The stories were published in the ''Strand Magazine'' in Britain and ''Collier's'' ...
'' by
Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Hol ...
. He continued to produce drawings for Sherlock Holmes stories for various publishers during the rest of his career. He illustrated 26 of the last 33 Sherlock Holmes stories for their initial American magazine appearances. Steele was the foremost American illustrator of the Holmes stories. His illustrations were largely responsible for popularizing the association of Holmes with a curved pipe and
deerstalker A deerstalker is a type of cap that is typically worn in rural areas, often for hunting, especially deer stalking. Because of the cap's popular association with the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, it has become stereotypical headgear f ...
hat. Steele's illustrations for the thirteen stories in ''The Return of Sherlock Holmes'' were made in Deerfield, Massachusetts. His model for Sherlock Holmes for these stories was an English model named Robert King, who traveled to Deerfield to work with Steele. For later stories, Steele drew Holmes from other models including Frank B. Wilson and S. B. Doughty. He based his depiction of Holmes on the portrayal of the character by the American actor
William Gillette William Hooker Gillette (July 24, 1853 – April 29, 1937) was an American actor-manager, playwright, and stage manager in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best remembered for portraying Sherlock Holmes on stage and in a 191 ...
, who starred in the play ''
Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...
'' in its 1899 premiere and later productions. Steele wrote an essay titled "Sherlock Holmes: A Little History of the World's Most Famous Fictional Character" for a souvenir program for the play dated November 22, 1929. In a part of the essay concerning illustrations, he acknowledged that he based his depiction of Holmes on Gillette, and addressed a misconception that his drawings influenced Gillette's portrayal:
Everybody agreed that Mr. Gillette was the ideal Sherlock Holmes, and it was inevitable that I should copy him. So I made my models look like him, and even in two or three instances used photographs of him in my drawings. But while the actor was seen by thousands, the magazines and books were seen by millions; so after a score of years had gone by, few could remember which "did it first." Even so well informed a historian as Mr. Clayton Hamilton has tried to give me credit which belongs entirely to Mr. Gillette.
He also wrote in the essay that he did not see Gillette's play until 1905, and that he drew Gillette from life for the first time in 1929. Steele illustrated a Sherlock Holmes parody by
Carolyn Wells Carolyn Wells (June 18, 1862 — March 26, 1942) was an American mystery author and poet. Life and career Born in Rahway, New Jersey, she was the daughter of William Edmund and Anna Potter Wells (née Woodruff). After finishing school, she wo ...
titled "The Adventure of the Clothes-line", which was published in ''
The Century Magazine ''The Century Magazine'' was an illustrated monthly magazine first published in the United States in 1881 by The Century Company of New York City, which had been bought in that year by Roswell Smith and renamed by him after the Century Associati ...
'' in May 1915. Steele was a fan of Holmes, and wrote four short Sherlock Holmes parodies that have been published in various periodicals and collections: "The Adventure of the Missing Hatrack" (1926), "The Adventure of the Missing Artist" (1928), "The Attempted Murder of Malcolm Duncan" (1932), and "The Adventure of the Murdered Art Editor" (1933).
Vincent Starrett Charles Vincent Emerson Starrett (; October 26, 1886 – January 5, 1974), known as Vincent Starrett, was a Canadian-born American writer, newspaperman, and bibliophile. Biography Charles Vincent Emerson Starrett was born above his grandfathe ...
dedicated his 1933 book ''
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes ''The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes'' is a 1970 DeLuxe Color film in Panavision written and produced by Billy Wilder and I. A. L. Diamond, and directed by Wilder. The film offers an affectionate, slightly parodic look at Sherlock Holmes, ...
'' to Steele and two other people including William Gillette. In the book, Starrett praised Steele's illustrations of the Holmes stories, stating that "No happier association of author and artist can be imagined". Starrett also wrote that there was a popular misconception that Gillette was influenced by Steele's drawings rather than the reverse. An article by Steele titled "Sherlock Holmes in Pictures" appeared in ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'' on May 22, 1937. A slightly revised version of this article was included in Starrett's 1940 anthology ''221B: Studies in Sherlock Holmes''. Steele illustrated the dust jacket of
Ellery Queen Ellery Queen is a pseudonym created in 1928 by the American detective fiction writers Frederic Dannay (1905–1982) and Manfred Bennington Lee (1905–1971). It is also the name of their main fictional detective, a mystery writer in New York City ...
's 1944 anthology ''
The Misadventures of Sherlock Holmes ''The Misadventures of Sherlock Holmes'' is an anthology of thirty-three Sherlock Holmes pastiches and parodies, first published in 1944. The first collection of Holmes pastiches, it consists of stories written by many prominent authors includi ...
'', which also included other work by Steele.


Personal life

Steele married Mary ("Polly") Thyng in 1898, and for much of the time until 1912 they lived at
Nutley, New Jersey Nutley is a Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 30,143, an increase of 1,773 (+6.2%) from the 2010 United ...
, then returning to New York. Their first child, John Frederic Steele, was born in 1899 but died at the age of three. The couple had three more children: Anne Steele Marsh (born Anne Gould Steele), Robert Gilmore Steele, and Zulma Steele Grey (born Zulma Ripley Steele). Steele was a member of The Players and edited the club's publication ''The Players Bulletin'' for several years. He and his wife separated in 1936 but never divorced. He spent his later years living in his studio at 717 Greenwich Street.


Death and legacy

In the last years of his life, Steele used medicine for a heart condition. In the spring of 1944, he suffered a breakdown in health and was brought to the
Mountainside Hospital Hackensack Meridian Health Mountainside Medical Center, also known as Mountainside Hospital, is an acute-care hospital located in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, United States. The hospital has 365 beds and serves Northern Essex County. A part of the H ...
in New Jersey, where he was diagnosed with
pellagra Pellagra is a disease caused by a lack of the vitamin niacin (vitamin B3). Symptoms include inflamed skin, diarrhea, dementia, and sores in the mouth. Areas of the skin exposed to friction and radiation are typically affected first. Over tim ...
. He spent two months there, and then stayed for a similar period at the
Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center The NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (abbreviated as NYP) is a nonprofit academic medical center in New York City. It is the primary teaching hospital for Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. The hospit ...
in New York. He died at
Bellevue Hospital Bellevue Hospital (officially NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue and formerly known as Bellevue Hospital Center) is a hospital in New York City and the oldest public hospital in the United States. One of the largest hospitals in the United States ...
, New York on 6 July 1944. He was cremated and his ashes were interred in a family plot at the
Albany Rural Cemetery The Albany Rural Cemetery was established October 7, 1844, in Menands, New York, United States, just outside the city of Albany, New York. It is renowned as one of the most beautiful, pastoral cemeteries in the U.S., at over . Many historical ...
. Between March 26 and April 7, 1945, a memorial exhibition of his work was held at the Morton Galleries in New York. His children donated a large collection of manuscripts, photographs, artwork, and other materials relating to Steele's life and career to the
University of Minnesota Libraries The University of Minnesota Libraries is the library system of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus, operating at 12 facilities in and around Minneapolis–Saint Paul. It has over 8 million volumes and 119,000 serial titles that are col ...
in 1986. There are plans to erect a memorial stone at his resting place in his honor.


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Steele, Frederic Dorr 1873 births 1944 deaths American illustrators People from Marquette, Michigan People from Nutley, New Jersey American people of English descent Writers of Sherlock Holmes pastiches