E. B. Bensell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
E. B. Bensell
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|---|---|
| Born |
Edmund Birckhead Bensell
June 11, 1842 |
| Died | November 24, 1894 (aged 52) |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts |
| Known for | Illustration |
| Movement | Philadelphia Sketch Club |
Edmund Birckhead Bensell (born June 11, 1842 – died November 24, 1894) was an American artist. He was also a talented illustrator. Most people knew him as E. B. Bensell. He was a good painter, but he became famous for his detailed ink drawings. He especially created many pictures for a special edition of William Shakespeare's plays.
Contents
About E. B. Bensell
His Early Life and Family
Edmund Birckhead Bensell was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents were Edmund Shippen Bensell and Margaret Sperry Bensell. He had an older brother named George Frederick Bensell, who was also an artist.
As an adult, E. B. Bensell lived in the Mount Airy area of Philadelphia. In 1871, he married Eliza Robert Poole. She was a musician who often sang in local churches. They had one daughter, Marion Bensell, who was born in 1874. E. B. Bensell passed away when he was 52 years old in Philadelphia.
Bensell's Art Career
Both Edmund and his brother George studied art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. This is a well-known art school. While they were students there in 1860, they helped start a group called the Philadelphia Sketch Club. This club is one of the oldest art clubs still around in America today.
The Philadelphia Sketch Club
George Bensell was the first president of the Philadelphia Sketch Club. The club's first meetings were held in his art studio. Edmund Bensell also served as the club's president later, from 1869 to 1871. Both brothers strongly believed in ending slavery. Their feelings influenced the club's early ideas. Many of their first drawings were printed in the club's popular magazine, the Sketch Club Portfolio.
Famous Illustrations
At first, E. B. Bensell mainly painted pictures. But he soon became well-known for his illustrations in magazines and books. He worked for several big publishing companies. These included Harper & Brothers, J. B. Lippincott & Co., and Charles Scribner's Sons. His illustrations often appeared alongside his brother's work. This continued until his brother George passed away in 1879.
E. B. Bensell created pictures for many different books. Here are some examples of books he illustrated:
- Memoirs of a Good-for-Nothing by Charles Godfrey Leland (1866)
- Ting-a-ling by Frank R. Stockton (1870)
- The underground rail road by William Still (1872) – This book shared stories of slaves trying to find freedom.
- A century after by Edward Strahan (1875) – This book showed pictures of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania.
- The boy's Percy by Thomas Percy (1881) – This book had old ballads about war and adventure.
- Davy and the goblin, or, What Followed Reading "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Charles E. Carryl (1885) – This was a popular children's story.
- Imaginotions; Truthless Tales by Tudor Jenks (1894)
