Howard Pyle: First Break

Illustrations from "Chincoteague" by Howard Pyle

"In the spring of 1876 Howard Pyle had gone on an expedition to a little island off the coast of Virginia known as Chincoteague where there flourished a breed of wild ponies. He was there at the time when the owners penned and branded these horses, and was very greatly interested in the operation. He watched it all in detail - how the horses were caught, how the branding was accomplished - and he especially took notice of the people who did it. He grasped their personalities, learned all about them, and caught the spirit of the local atmosphere. Then he wrote about it, and made sketches to go with his essay. It was a good description. It showed a real knowledge of the little island and a splendid grasp of the picturesque details. His mother immediately saw its value and advised him to send it off to 'Scribner's Monthly,' which was in the habit of publishing such things.

It was not long before a pleasant little note came from 'Scribner's Monthly' saying that the story had been accepted. The editors were particularly pleased with the illustrations, although they would have to be redrawn by their own staff of artists in order to be made suitable for purposes of reproduction. The Pyle family was delighted. Everything began to look rosy for Howard - especially when one of the owners of 'Scribner's Monthly,' advised Howard to come to New York, to spend all his time in drawing and writing for the magazines, and to develop his abilities until they should become of really great value. He implied that there would be no difficulty in getting plenty of work and said that nothing would be easier than for Howard to make a good living.

This was an opportunity not to be missed. Not only could he get a good start in the way of practical work for the periodicals, but he could also study again. There would be any number of good teachers there, and he could surely spare enough time from his work to be trained in the latest methods that had been brought over from Europe. 

His parents decided that if it proved difficult to make his way at first, he should be supported from the family purse. Accordingly, then, about the middle of October, 1876, he set out for New York, carrying with him the high hopes of his family and the glad confidence of young ambition."

To be continued

(Excerpts from "Howard Pyle, A Chronicle" by Charles D. Abbott.)