Wesley Dennis (illustrator)
| Wesley Dennis | |
|---|---|
| Born |
John Wesley Dennis May 16, 1903 Falmouth, Massachusetts |
| Died | September 3, 1966 (aged 63) Falmouth, Massachusetts |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Children's book illustration |
John Wesley Dennis (May 16, 1903 – September 3, 1966) was an American illustrator, known best for fifteen children's books about horses that he created in collaboration with writer Marguerite Henry. He illustrated over 150 books in his lifetime, including Anna Sewell's Black Beauty and John Steinbeck's The Red Pony. He also wrote and illustrated a few books of his own, among which are Flip, Flip and the Cows, Flip and the Morning, and Tumble.
Dennis was born on May 16, 1903, in Falmouth, Massachusetts. He grew up on a farm on Cape Cod. He and his older brother Morgan both learned to draw specializing in farm animals, with preference for horses and dogs respectively.
Dennis failed the US Naval Academy entrance exam and dropped of school at age 17. He looked for work in Boston, where Morgan was a newspaper illustrator with the Boston Herald, and got a similar job at the Boston American by showing some of Morgan's work as his own. He found illustration jobs with several department stores, including Jordan Marsh and Filene's. He did not intend to become an artist. "Most of my new friends were spending the mornings at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts drawing from plaster casts. They wanted to be artists. They usually were broke." However, Morgan convinced him to try to make a living drawing horses. Dennis began by sketching racetrack winners, hoping to receive portrait commissions from the owners. This brought some success. He decided to further his education, and traveled to France to study with artist Lowes Dalbiac Luard, an expert on horse anatomy.
In 1940, Dennis married Dorothy Schiller Boggs.
In 1941, he published his first book, Flip, a "fanciful story about a pony named Flip and his desire to jump the brook." His illustrations attracted author Marguerite Henry, who later wrote, "I had just finished writing Justin Morgan Had a Horse, and wanted the best horse artist in the world to illustrate it. So I went to the library, studied the horse books, and immediately fell in love with the work of Will James and Wesley Dennis. When I found out that Will James was dead, I sent my manuscript to Wesley Dennis." Thus began a 20-year collaboration which resulted in the publication of 15 books. (Below there are 20 listings of books "written by Marguerite Henry", including two editions of Justin Morgan.)
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