THE FELIX OCTAVIUS CARR DARLEY WEB SITE:

Last update, Dec.1, 2007

CLICK HERE ... to go directly to a "google" search of THIS site

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Founders of the Darley Society in 1999 … and Site Editors (CLICK for more info on them)

EMAIL THE EDITORS: editors@focdarley.org

The web site for

F.O.C. DARLEY

Felix Octavius Carr Darley
(B: 1821 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania --
D: 1888 Claymont, Delaware)

“America's First Illustrator of Note” (Brandywine River Museum, Chadds Ford, PA)

... Some Say,
"Father of American Illustration"

"His works helped forge our national identity"

(New York City Public Library)

"The first true illustrator of the American spirit" (Book of Artists, 1867)

· "Darley played a major role in the creating of the cult of George Washington ..." (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, yr. 2000)

· “(Darley) had no rival in the world as a delineator of historical subjects. (1994 Preface Supplement, OUR COUNTRY, by Benson Lossing)

Undoubtedly, he was

"Victorian America's Most Famous Illustrator"

The editors’ favorite accolade:

“… Given that Howard Pyle is considered to be

the father of American Illustration,

then Darley must be considered to be the grandfather …”

THE COMPLETE REFERENCE: F.O.C. Darley as the first truly popular American illustrator, and is now most associated with the often reprinted sets of Dickens and James Fenimore Cooper's works as well as with a variety of lithographs that once graced many 19th century homes. Given that Howard Pyle is considered to be the father of American Illustration, then Darley must be considered to be the grandfather. It was Darley who raised the consciousness of the American literary public to the potential of the illustrated page. His illustrations not only adorned most important American literary works of the mid-nineteenth century, but were also used on etchings and prints, and also for the elaborate banknotes and stock certificates of the time. Notable appearances include a 32-volume set of James Fenimore Cooper's works, a series of Shakespeare images, and many Washington Irving titles. He also was reproduced extensively in Harpers Weekly.

From THE ILLUSTRATOR'S BOOKCASE http://illustratorsbookcase.com/biographies/F_O_C_Darley_Biography.html

COMMENTS:

We acknowledge and appreciate Howard Pyle’s great contribution to illustrative art; we too love his beautiful color art. We just want the “first” acknowledged … As in all firsts, improvements and new accomplishments always follow … and greater achievements are made. That doesn’t, however, negate that person who “broke the barrier.” We only want Darley remembered and recognized for the legend that he was. After all, as stated by the New York Public Library Graphic Arts section, “(Darley) helped forge our national identity,” and as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC said, “he played a major role in the creating of the George Washington cult.” // THE EDITORS

SEE MORE ACCOLADES BELOW

Darley illustrated works by most of the key mid-1800's writers, including Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Fenimore Cooper, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Edgar Allan Poe, and others.

A BRIEF BIO:

Felix Darley was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1821 of actor parents, one of eight children. He was a self-taught artist. Some of his first work at age 20 was for Edgar Allan Poe, then editor of the “Saturday Museum” magazine. Darley worked in Philadelphia until 1848 when he moved to New York City. Upon his marriage in 1859, he moved to Claymont, Delaware where he worked for the next 19 years. He died at his home-studio while finishing a Dickens portfolio in 1888.

“CLICK” TO READ MORE DEAILED BIOS. FROM ….

The National Gallery of Art (Wash. DC) CLICK TO GO THERE
The New York Public Library CLICK TO GO THERE
The editors’, “Statements of Signifiance, Darley and His Work” CLICK TO GO THERE

READ FREDERIC TARABA’S “MASTERS” SERIES ARTICLE ABOUT DARLEY & HIS WORK ( click to go there )

A GREAT “OVERVIEW” OF DARLEY: Fred is the Assistant Director of New York City’s ILLUSTRATION HOUSE ( click to go to that web site )

Felix Darley was an art patriot.
He help the newly emerging, 75-year old nation see themselves
and to express their national pride.

SOME KEY ACCOLADES HELP US UNDERSTAND HIS CONTRIBUTIIONS:

[ Note where the accolades are from ]

"...The most accomplished and prolific American

illustrator before the Centennial ...

" (re: 1900)

(The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin , December, 2000, p. 52.)

" ... The first true illustrator of the American spirit"

(Book of the Artists, 1867)

"The first major American Illustrator..."

(Brandywine River Museum guide brochure)

"(he) dominated American ... illustration

for nearly a half-century..."

(The Philadelphia Inquirer, 1999)

"Perhaps the best of Dickens American

Illustrators"

(Dickens' Illustrators, F.G. Kitton, 1899)

"...(he) was mid-nineteenth century America's

most popular book illustrator"
.

(Delaware Art Museum exhibit catalogue, "...illustrated by

Darley,"1978, C. Anne Hahler)

"Perhaps the true father of American

illustration was F.O.C. Darley ..."
.

(Myth, Magic, and Mystery, Catalogue of The Chrysler Museum of Art exhibit by the same name; 1997. Essay by Michael Patrick Hearn)

"...one of the most famous

illustrators of his time."
.

(The New York Times, 6/25/99)

"His art is more truthful and full of character

than anything of a similar kind which we have seen...."
.

(From The SATURDAY MUSEUM Magazine, Edgar Allan Poe, Editor, 1842)

"... Darley must be considered the most important of the many artists who have provided illustrations for Cooper's novels, in part because -- unlike most others -- he illustrated all 32 of Cooper's novels, and part because those illustrations (first appearing in the Townsend edition of 1859-61) were so widely copied in the decades that followed."

(The Fenimore Cooper Society, August, 2001)

"Darley is one of the most famous illustrators

in America prior to the Civil War.
He illustrated ... many of the Southwestern

Humorists, histories of American Indians,

etc. In so doing, he helped define the ways

in which American readers imagined

much of their own past.

( American Studies at the University of Virginia;

Go to web site )

Felix Darley was named to the Society of Illustrator’s

ILLUSTRATOR’S HALL OF FAME in 2001.

Key Society comments were:

“… (Darley was) considered America's first important illustrator.”

“ ... (he was) the first of a new American school of illustrators which was to

successfully challenge the dominance of English and Continental

illustration during the mid-nineteenth century.”

· GO TO THE INDUCTION “PROGRAM” (click)

· GO TO THE SOCIETY OF ILLUSTRATORS WEB SITE (click)

(NOTE: quality of art is reduced on this site for quicker loading)

Darley first distinguished himself early in his career (at age 20 to 25) with his "city" and western art. [ Scene to the right, (c) Frederic Taraba, ILLUSTRATION HOUSE, NY,NY ]

Many of these illustrations were so good that they are still used today. An unusual application is Darley's famous, "Emigrants Crossing the Plains" used in a recent SMITHSTONIAN MAGAZINE article on the role of oxen in the westward movement and as a backdrop for a recent ad in HISTORICAL TRAVEL MAGAZINE [ lower right ]. A visit to the Civil War section of a local book store will reveal MANY uses of Darley's work in recently printed books ... some with attribution, most without.

Darley didn't do a lot of oil paintings, and when he did, they usually were by personal request. This is an example, TOUCHSTONE AND AUDREY, owned and exhibited by the BRANDYWINE RIVER MUSEUM, Chadds Ford, PA (left)

Some of Darley's most lasting and famous, high-impact illustrations were of the American Revolution. One of the famous ones is this illustration, "FIRST BLOW FOR LIBERTY" (Lexington, MA)

(Below center).

Felix Darley did extensive illustrating of America's number one hero, George Washington, in so doing ...

"Darley played a major role in the creating of the cult of George Washington"
(From the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1999)

Washington's Entry Into New York

Washington as a Surveyor
(From Washington Irving's, "Life of George Washington" )

Washington owned some 65,000 acres in 37 locations. He learned surveying as a young man in 1747. By the time of his death, he had surveyed more than 200 tracts of land (The Daguerreian Annual, 2004; "Legacy of the Land Surveyor in the Daguerreian Era," Dr. William J. Schultz)

GO TO THE SPECIAL “DARLEY’S WASHINGTON” WEB PAGE: www.focdarley.org/wash.html

Most regard Darley as "Dickens American Illustrator" (Editors)

Dicken's Barnaby Rudge

When American publishers started publishing Charles Dickens works in the 1850's (plus), they wanted an American illustrator. Darley was at the apex of his career and the leading American illustrator so he was engaged to illustrate almost all these books. Many listed Darley and John Gilbert, but in most of those cases, Darley's work prevailed, with only one or two of Gilbert's works being used.

Civil War Soldier

Some of Darley's most noted work was his "Cooper Vignettes." Darley did over 500 drawings for Cooper's works; he is the only illustrator who illustrated ALL 32 of Cooper's novels. (see the quote from the Cooper Society, above, under "Accolades").

America’s early “paper money” were notes issued by the large banks. By 1860, intaglio engraving and security printing had reached a highly artistic and technological state. The larger banks engaged the newly formed American Banknote Company that produced security printing that was not only virtually impossible to counterfeit, but used engraved art from some of the most noteworthy artisans of the Period. Darley’s art was widely used in these early banknotes. His art was so intricate that it was easy to engrave and reduce to make the high quality art for the notes … making counterfeiting very difficult.

Remembering the Darley Society’s Research Historian . . .

Carol Digel, Research Historian for the Darley Society, 1999 through 2004.

(Shown at the January 2000 Poe reading program for "The Bells")

The Hester’s acknowledge the GREAT support and contribution that Carol Digel made to the Darley Society AND to this web site, 1999-2005. Carol was a “Darley proselytizer” everywhere she went and all that she did. Carol passed away on June 9, 2005 after a long illness. She IS missed!

GO TO OUR SPECIAL "REMEMBERING CAROK PAGE"

CLICK HERE … to go to a tribute to MARTHA SCHIEK, “Claymont Historian / Top Darley Fan”

CLICK HERE … to go to the DARLEY HOUSE web page (Felix’s “Wrens Nest” Claymont, DE home)

CLICK HERE … to go to details about the Hesters, editors of this site

F.O.C. Darley Web Site Search ... ENTER WORD / WORDS ABOVE

For a special page with photos, click to GO TO DARLEY DAY, 2002

INDEX for the F.O.C. Darley web site, AS OF MARCH 6, 2006

(Added or Updated in c. last 2 weeks = RED note)

I. MORE ABOUT DARLEY:

A) ACCOLADES, “MORE,” (Click)

B) OVERVIEWS ABOUT DARLEY … “LIFE & WORK” .

* The National Gallery of Art (Wash. DC) CLICK TO GO THERE (same as above, top of page)

* The New York Public Library CLICK TO GO THERE (same as above)

* The editors’ “Statement of Signifiance, Darley and His Work” CLICK TO GO THERE (same as top of page)

* Frederic Taraba’s article about Darley (Director of Illustration House) CLICK TO GO (same as above)

* Darley was born in 1821, NOT 1822 … GO TO DETAILS

* Darley’s “obituary” in HARPER’S MAGAZINE, 1888 … GO TO IT

* Darley’s obituary in the Wilmington MORNING NEWS, 1888 … GO TO IT

C) FAMILY, DARLEY’S (Click “FAMILY…” ); for more . . . Click below:

* About Mrs. Darley (Click)

Dogs in Darley’s work

D) ABOUT “THE DARLEY HOUSE” [ Click ] (aka “The Chimneys, Wren’s Nest, Darley Manor)

II. ABOUT DARLEY’S WORK WITH, OR IN REFERENCE TO

(click on the topic to go there):

* CITIES & COUNTRY LIFE

* INDIANS & WEST

* BANKNOTES

* CIVIL WAR [ Including two “Women of the War” ]

* COLONIAL PERIOD

* COOPER, FENIMORE

* DICKENS, CHARLES

* INCLUDING, “Did Dickens visit Claymont, DE in 1867-68?”

* DICKENS, GERALD CHARLES

* DOGS (Darley used them extensively) Same as in “Family,” above.

* HAWTHORNE, NATHANIEL

* IRVING, WASHINGTON

* LONGFELLOW, HENRY W

* MOORE, CLEMENT C., “A VISIT FROM SAINT NICHOLAS”

(Includes A “GALLERY” and a link to Claymont DE’s “DINNER WITH WASHINGTON”,Oct. 2, 2004,

or go there directly: www.focdarley.org/washDIN.html )

* WEST & INDIANS (Same as “Indians” above)

IIA. AN INDEX OF FILES & REPORTS IN THE HESTER’S FILES (Excludes prints & books):

CLICK TO GO THERE

III. MISC.OTHER ... GO THERE (Click) … [Not in above categories]

(Clicking above takes you to a “MISC INDEX”

^{IIIa: “VALUING” DARLEY’S PRINTS, ORIGINALS, & BOOKS … CLICK: www.focdarley.org/valueART.html}

IV. GALLERIES … SUBJECTS “NOT” ABOVE:

1) Portraits of Darley

MISC. DARLEY WORKS:

1) San Francisco Art Museum, Darley Collection (72 items) Click to go there

http://search.famsf.org:8080/search.shtml?keywords=%44%61%72%6C%65%79

2) A GOOD SAMPLE OF COOPER & DICKENS’ WORKS BY DARLEY …. CLICK

CLICK TO RETURN TO THE TOP OF THE WEB SITE

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!

SEND EMAIL WITH COMMENTS &/OR QUESTIONS . . .

editors@focdarley.org

Please bookmark our site and check back for updates

TO SEE THE NUMBER OF VISTS TO THIS SITE FOR THE LAST 12 MONTHS (as of June 2006) … CLICK HERE

(As of April, 2007, visits average abt. 10 per day, EXCL. Christmas season, when it’s more)

WHO ARE THE EDITORS? Ray and Judith Hester

Ray and Judith lived in Delaware for 30 years … the last 13 in Claymont in Darley’s “Wren’s Nest” home where they operated the Darley Manor Inn B&B. They retired to SC in Dec. 2004.

Ray and Judith were born in North Carolina. Graduating from High Point University (’66), Ray went to work with the DuPont Company. After working 8 years for DuPont in Richmond Virginia, they moved to Delaware (Pike Creek) in 1974 with their 3 sons. Ray continued to work for DuPont in Delaware until he retired in 1993 after 27 years of service. He held various positions in administration, finance, manufacturing, and quality management.

In 1991, Ray & Judith purchased the Darley House in Claymont, saving it from the wrecking ball, and most likely a fast-food restaurant on the corner of Philadelphia Pike and Darley Road. The house had been on the market for 15 months, with “0” offers of purchase for any end use that would save the house … which appeared to be fine with the owner & realtor.

In 1993, after two years of renovations and decorating, the Hesters opened Darley Manor Inn B&B, to much fanfare and questioning from all fronts … “A B&B in Claymont?”

They operated the B&B from1993-2004, welcoming over 14 thousand guests to “Darley” and Claymont (yes, they have the numbers to support this). The business was a great success during the first 8 years, but the national trend of B&B decline hurt the last 3 years. In Dec. 2004, Ray and Judith retired to Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.

During their 13 years in Claymont, Ray and Judith were active in the Claymont Community Coalition and other civic efforts. Judith was Treasurer for 2 years and Ray was the first Chair of the Christmas Parade, and served as Chair for its first 5 years (1998 – 2002) and was editor of its newsletter for 3 years. Ray also served Board terms for the Claymont Comm. Coalition, the Wilmington Visitor’s Bureau, the Stone School, and the Claymont Chorus.

In 1999, Ray founded the Darley Society and Judith founded the Claymont Historical Society. Ray was Executive Director of the two societies until retiring in 2004.

From 1999 through 2002 (4yrs), they were responsible for the Darley Society bringing Gerald Charles Dickens (great, great grandson of Charles Dickens), to Claymont … first to the Riverfront Art Center in 1999, then to other venues in the Claymont area for his world renowned performances of “A CHRISTMAS CAROL.” Ray was the program director and coordinator for these events.

Also in 1999, with the Hesters 5 years of “push and pull” with Dr. Nancy Finlay, the major Darley Art exhibit, “INVENTING THE AMERICAN PAST,” opened at the New York Public Library (in the NYC Graphic Arts Dept.). After a 6 week run in New York, the exhibit visited the BRANDYWINE RIVER MUSEUM in Chadds Ford, PA. for an exhibit there. Dr. Nancy Finlay of the New York Public Library curated the NYC exhibit. Dr. Finlay and Virginia O’Hare curated the Chadds Ford exhibit.

In 2001, Felix Darley was (finally) named to the ILLUSTRATOR’S HALL OF FAME in New York City. This came after almost 7 years of “push and pull” by Ray and Judith, Dr. Finlay and Frederic Taraba, Director, ILLUSTRATION HOUSE (NYC).

All of the above not only brought attention and recognition to Felix Darley and his contributions, but also to Claymont, Delaware, the community where he had moved in 1859 and where he spent 2/3’s of his illustrious career.

Ray served as Executive Director & events coordinator of the Naamans Heritage Association … from 2002, when the group assumed management of the c. 1723 Robinson House, until 2004.

In November 2000, Ray and Martha Schiek of Claymont co-authored the book, “Images of America, CLAYMONT.” Arcadia Publishing sold well over 4,000 of the books, with over $8,500 of the royalties going to the Claymont Historical Society. It’s now out of print, but available via the Historical Society. Judith Hester played a large role in that it was she who “persistently insisted” that Ray & Martha do the book.

With the support of Ralph Nelson (SAR) and Rep. Wayne Smith, in 2002 Ray was the founding Chairperson for the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route (W3R) – Delaware Committee, now under the able leadership of Kim Burdick. [[ Sept. 2006 saw a grand celebration of the 1781, 600 mile “March to Victory” from Rhode Island to battle in Yorktown, Va. Of course, this march passed through Claymont on its original route, perhaps pausing at the Robinson House, home to Col. Thomas Robinson, who served in, and was wounded, in the war. ]]

CLICK HERE … TO VIEW INFO ON THE “DARLEY HOUSE / DARLEY MANOR INN B&B”

CLICK HERE … TO RETURN TO THE TOP OF THIS WEB SITE

Darley 2006: