The Master of the Black Arts Bringeth a Curious Little Black Hen to the King, for "The Wonder Clock"

Pyle is considered the father of American illustration. Born in Wilmington, Delaware, he became interested in art and writing as a boy, studied in Philadelphia and then New York, at the Art Students League. In 1878, a drawing accepted by Harper's Weekly helped to launch his career and the artist returned to Delaware in 1880. Over the next three decades Pyle wrote and illustrated a series of now iconic works and became an influential teacher. Aware of contemporary European innovations, he skillfully adapted his style to suit a range of subjects. This design first appeared in Harper's "Young People," February 23,1886 titled "The Master of Black Arts with a Hen," and was used to illustrate the story "The Clever Student and Master of the Black-Arts" Here, the artist redrew it for "The Wonder Clock," a book published by Harper Brothers in 1888. The related image appears in story V on page 58.