Grover Simcox (1867–1966) was an American illustrator,

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

and

polymath A polymath or polyhistor is an individual whose knowledge spans many different subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems. Polymaths often prefer a specific context in which to explain their knowledge, ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

Early life and education

Simcox was born in

Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in eastern Pennsylvania, United States. The county seat of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, it is the List o ...

in 1867. He initially worked in several unremarkable jobs in various fields. In 1901, however, he relocated to

to study the sciences at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

. While his coursework was generally poorly received, his accompanying illustrations were widely praised.

Career

Simcox was in demand as an illustrator for the rest of his career. He completed several notable portraits, including illustrations of plants and animals in his native

. His portraits of plants were mostly completed on the grounds of

Fairmount Park Fairmount Park is the largest municipal park in Philadelphia and the historic name for a group of parks located throughout the city. Fairmount Park consists of two park sections named East Park and West Park, divided by the Schuylkill River, w ...

, one of the nation's largest and most recognizable public parks. Several of his illustrations of aquatic life were featured in exhibits and lectures at the Philadelphia Aquarium, one of the nation's first public aquariums.

References

1867 births 1966 deaths American illustrators Artists from Allentown, Pennsylvania Artists from Philadelphia University of Pennsylvania alumni {{Philadelphia-stub