A. B. Frost Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids A. B. Frost
Portrait of A.B. Frost by Thomas Eakins
Born	(1851-01-17)January 17, 1851 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	June 22, 1928(1928-06-22) (aged 77) Pasadena, California
Resting place	Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Nationality	American
Known for	Comics, graphic art, lithography, painting

Arthur Burdett Frost (born January 17, 1851 – died June 22, 1928) was an American artist. People usually called him A. B. Frost. He was famous for his drawings, graphic art, and paintings. He also wrote comics.

Frost is best known for his pictures of Br'er Rabbit and other characters. These were for the Joel Chandler Harris' Uncle Remus books. His artwork showed a lot of action and movement. He also drew realistic pictures of hunting, shooting, and golf. He illustrated over 90 books. He also made hundreds of paintings. Frost was a pioneer in creating comic strips. He was added to the Society of Illustrators' Hall of Fame in 1985. This happened after he passed away.

A Young Artist's Journey
Working with Big Names
Bringing Stories to Life
His Life and Family
His Lasting Impact
Gallery
Some of His Works
See also

A Young Artist's Journey

Frost was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on January 17, 1851. He was the oldest of ten children. His father, John Frost, was a professor and writer. When he was fifteen, Frost started working at a local business. There, he learned how to do engraving and lithography. He mostly taught himself art. But he also studied with famous artists like Thomas Eakins and William Merritt Chase.

In 1874, a friend asked him to draw pictures for a funny book. The book was called "Out of the Hurly Burly." It was very popular. This helped Frost start his career as an illustrator.

Working with Big Names

In 1875, Frost worked at a newspaper called The Daily Graphic. The next year, in 1876, he joined Harper & Brothers. This was a big publishing company. He worked with other well-known illustrators there. These included Howard Pyle and Frederic Remington. He also drew for magazines like Harper's Weekly and Scribner's Magazine. He learned many art styles there. These ranged from cartoons to very realistic paintings.

In 1877, he moved to London to study art. He was one of the first American artists to become successful in England. He drew pictures for books by Mark Twain and Charles Dickens. Later, he returned to Philadelphia. He continued to study art there.

Bringing Stories to Life

In 1892, Frost worked with Joel Chandler Harris. He drew pictures for the book Uncle Remus and His Friend. His drawings brought characters like Uncle Remus and Br'er Rabbit to life. Frost and Harris made more Uncle Remus books together. These included Uncle Remus: His Songs and Sayings.

Frost was inspired by Eadweard Muybridge's photos of things in motion. He used this idea to create a series of drawings. These drawings showed action happening step-by-step. This was a new way to tell stories. It helped create what we now call comic strips and comic books. In 1884, Frost published Stuff and Nonsense. This book showed his new ideas for drawing stories. His work influenced later comic strip artists.

Frost loved hunting, shooting, and golf. He put these interests into many of his drawings and books. He was a keen golfer. His golf pictures showed the excitement of the players. They also had detailed backgrounds. His golf art was in books like The Golfer's Alphabet (1898). It also appeared on the covers of Collier's magazine.

He was a member of several art clubs. These included the Philadelphia Sketch Club and the Society of Illustrators.

His Life and Family

A.B. Frost's tombstone in Laurel Hill Cemetery

Frost married Emily Louise Phillips, who was also an artist, in 1883. They lived in Convent Station, New Jersey for many years. From 1908 to 1916, Frost and his family lived in Paris. This was so his children could study art.

After returning to the United States, he lived in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He continued to work as an illustrator. He drew many comics for Life magazine. In 1924, Frost moved to Pasadena, California. He passed away there on June 22, 1928. He is buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.

His Lasting Impact

A. B. Frost was honored after his death. He was added to the Society of Illustration Hall of Fame in 1985. His drawing of Brer Rabbit was even put on a special postage stamp in 2001.

Gallery

A. B. Frost's first comic: a German tries to say English "th" sounds, December 1897
Our Cat Eats Rat Poison (later called Fatal Mistake)
Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby from the 1895 Uncle Remus: His Songs and Sayings
Rail Shooting, by A B Frost from Shooting Pictures (1895)
Front Cover of The Golfer's Alphabet (1898)
Illustration from Lewis Carroll's Rhyme? and Reason?
A 1921 illustration by Frost