Henry Clarence Pitz

Henry C. Pitz
Born	Henry Clarence Pitz June 16, 1895[1] Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died	November 26, 1976 (aged 81) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nationality	American
Known for	Illustration, painting

Henry Clarence Pitz (June 16, 1895 – November 26, 1976) was an American artist, illustrator, editor, author, and teacher who wrote and illustrated over 190 books, the best known of which is The Brandywine School.

Pitz was born in Philadelphia in 1895. His father was a bookbinder who immigrated from Germany. Pitz graduated from West Philadelphia High School and was awarded a scholarship to the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art which changed its name in 1838 to the University of the Arts. At art school Pitz studied illustration and was particularly fond of Howard Pyle. After a few years in the Army Medical Corps spent in Europe, Pitz returned to Philadelphia and began a career of teaching and book illustration, his first notable book being Early American Costume published by The Century Company of New York.^[2]

In the 1930s Pitz joined the monthly magazine American Artist as an associate editor and writer. He was a regular contributor to the magazine for the rest of his life. In 1950 Pitz was elected to the National Academy of Design.

In the 1960s Pitz was commissioned by Houghton, Mifflin and Company to write The Brandywine School which remained on the best seller list for ten weeks. A few years later Pitz published a comprehensive book on his favorite illustrator, Howard Pyle. Pitz resided at 3 Cornelia Place in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia.^[3] He died on November 26, 1976 in Philadelphia.

Partial bibliography

The following is a partial list of Pitz' published works

• A Treasury of American Book Illustration (editor). New York: Watson-Guptill Publications, 1947. OCLC 459521213
• The practice of illustration New York, Watson-Guptill, 1947. OCLC 491120297
• Drawing Trees. New York: Watson-Guptill, 1956. Rev. and enlarged ed. How to Draw Trees. New York: Watson-Guptill, 1972 ISBN 978-0-8230-1441-5
• Ink drawing techniques. New York, Watson-Guptill Publications, 1957. ISBN 978-0-8230-2550-3
• Illustrating Children’s Books: History, Technique, Production. New York: Watson-Guptill, 1963. ISBN 978-0-8230-2535-0
• Drawing Outdoors. New York: Watson-Guptill, 1965. ISBN 978-0-273-01155-2
• Early American Costume (with Edward Warwick). New York: Century, 1929. Revised edition Early American Dress: The Colonial and Revolutionary Periods (with Edward Warwick and Alexander Wyckoff). New York: Benjamin Blom, 1965. OCLC 607002650
• The Brandywine Tradition. New York, Weathervane Books, 1968. ISBN 978-0-517-16431-0
• Charcoal Drawing. New York: Watson-Guptill, 1971. ISBN 978-0-8230-0615-1
• 173 Drawings and Illustrations (with Frederic Remington). New York: Dover, 1972. ISBN 978-0-486-20714-8
• Howard Pyle: Writer, Illustrator, Founder of the Brandywine School. New York: Clarkson N. Potter, 1975. ISBN 978-0-517-51665-2
• 200 Years of American Illustration. New York: Random House, 1977. ISBN 978-0-394-41474-4

References

1. "United States Social Security Death Index," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JY3G-DJH : accessed 19 Jul 2013), Henry Pitz, November 1976.
2. "Artist biography: Henry C. Pitz". Lawrence Cantor (Gallery). Retrieved 1 October 2011.
3. "Liveauctioneers - "Passing of the Night hours"". liveauctioneers.com. 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-06.

External links

• Works by Henry Clarence Pitz at Project Gutenberg
• Works by or about Henry Clarence Pitz at Internet Archive