Designer and painter; born in
Philadelphia June 23, 1822; evinced a taste for drawing at an early age, and while a lad in a mercantile house spent his leisure time in sketching.
For some of these he was offered a handsome sum, and this induced him to choose art as a life pursuit.
He spent several years in
Philadelphia, always living by his pencil, and in 1848 he went to New York, where he made admirable illustrations for some of
Irving's humorous works.
Among these were
The legend of Sleepy hollow and
Rip Van Winkle.
These works procured for him the reputation, at home and abroad, as a leader in the art of outline illustrations.
He illustrated a great many books and made numerous admirable designs for bank-notes.
For
Cooper's works he made 500 illustrations.
More than sixty of them were engraved on steel.
He executed four large works ordered by Prince Napoleon while in this country.
These were:
Emigrants attacked by Indians on the prairies;
The village blacksmith;
The unwilling laborer, and
The repose.
He illustrated several of
Dickens's works, and during the
Civil War delineated many characteristic scenes.
Some of the more elaborate pictures on the United States government
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bonds were made by him; and also the beautiful design of the certificate of stock given as evidence of subscription for the
Centennial Exhibition in 1876.
Among his later works in book illustrations were 500 beautiful designs for
Lossing's
Our country.
Mr. Darley went to
Europe near the close of the war, studied models in
Rome, and returned with a portfolio full of personal sketches.
He died in
Claymont, Del., March 27, 1888.
