David Hunter Strother

David Hunter Strother (September 26, 1816 – March 8, 1888) was a successful 19th century American magazine illustrator and writer, popularly known by his pseudonym, "Porte Crayon" (French, porte-crayon: "pencil/crayon holder").

Strother (son of colonel John Strother & Elizabeth Pendleton Hunter) was born in Martinsburg, Virginia (now West Virginia). He studied drawing under Pietro Ancora in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1829, and studied painting under Samuel F. B. Morse in New York City in 1837-1838. After travels in the Midwest in 1838-1839, he embarked for Europe in the fall of 1839. Residing primarily in Italy, he returned to the United States in the spring of 1843. During the mid-1840s, under the direction of John G. Chapman, Strother learned the craft of woodcut illustration in New York. He illustrated a variety of publications before winning fame as both the author and illustrator of a series of humorous travelogues which appeared in Harper's Monthly magazine. Commencing in 1853 and published under the Pen name "Porte Crayon," these articles included The Virginia Canaan (1853), Virginia Illustrated (1854-1855), "North Carolina Illustrated" (1957), "A Winter in the South" (1857-1858) and "A Summer in New England" (1860-1861).

Despite his Virginia upbringing, Strother supported the Union during the Civil War. Though he hoped to remain neutral he eventually joined the Union Army and was assigned as a topographer due to his detailed knowledge of the Shenandoah Valley. During this time, Strother recorded his experiences in the war, which he would later publish in Harper's Monthly as "Personal Recollections of the War." His accounts are considered to be unique and are highly praised for their objective viewpoint. On June 12, 1864, Col. Strother was chief of staff to his cousin General David Hunter, and was involved in the shelling and burning of the Virginia Military Institute (VMI). He was promoted colonel of the 3rd West Virginia Cavalry and involved in 30 battles, though never wounded, and was appointed a brevet brigadier general in 1865. Following the war, he was Adjutant General of the Virginia Militia and a member of the VMI Board of Visitors; in that capacity he actively promoted the reconstruction of VMI.

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