Henry C. Pitz 1895-1976 Collection

Henry Clarence Pitz (1895-1976) was an illustrator, painter, editor, author, instructor, and scholar on Howard Pyle. A Philadelphia native, Pitz was inspired as a youth by the works of Howard Pyle to develop his own ability to draw, study history, and write. Pitz earned a scholarship to study at The Philadelphia Museum School of Art under former Pyle students Thornton Oakley, Harvey Dunn, George Harding, Walter Everett, and Maurice Bower. During World War I Pitz applied his artistic skills during his service with the American Expeditionary Forces in France to make studies of soldiers and document scenes of the war-torn environment. Following the war, he continued his studies at the Spring Garden Institute in Philadelphia and began contributing illustrations to magazines such as Boys' Life and St. Nicholas. In 1929, he wrote and illustrated Early American Costume—a reference tool for illustrators. Pitz was also a teacher and lead the department of illustration at the Philadelphia Museum College of Art from 1932 to 1960. He taught watercolor from 1939 to 1946 at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and was a visiting lecturer and instructor at the University of Pennsylvania, The Cleveland Institute of Art, and The Newark School of Art.

Over his career he became an authority on the history and techniques of illustration, publishing numerous articles on the profession and noted artists. Pitz served as associate editor for the magazine, American Artist, and wrote several books, such as A Treasury of American Book Illustration (1941) and Illustrating Children’s Books (1963). In homage to Howard Pyle and his artistic philosophy as learned through his students Pitz wrote two histories: The Brandywine Tradition (1969) and Howard Pyle: Writer, Illustrator, Founder of the Brandywine School (1975).