Harry Kane (illustrator) facts for kids
Harry Kane (born Harry Kirchner) was an American artist and illustrator. He lived from 1912 to 1988. He is best known for drawing the pictures for the popular children's book series, "The Three Investigators". Harry Kane worked as an artist for over 50 years. He created art for many things, like book covers, advertisements, and movie posters.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Harry Kane was born in Philadelphia in 1912. He taught himself how to draw and paint. When he was young, he loved to visit the zoo and draw animals. He learned a lot about art history and modern art. To get better at his skills, he studied books by famous illustrators like Howard Pyle and NC Wyeth.
Harry's art career started during a tough time called the Great Depression. He and some artist friends moved from Philadelphia to New York City. It was hard to find jobs back then. But Harry's talent was noticed. Around 1930, he started working for a company called Street & Smith. One of his first paid jobs was drawing for Western Story Magazine.
Harry married his wife, Minna, and they lived in Greenwich Village. When World War II began, Harry joined the army. He was sent to Hawaii to make maps. In 1941, Harry and Minna had their first child, a son named Eugene. Eugene had special needs. Harry spent a lot of his free time with his son.
The war ended in 1945, and Harry came home. After the war, Harry and Minna had two daughters, Hadiya (born 1946) and Janice. Harry and Minna later divorced in 1970.
Professional Art Work
When Harry came home from the war, his old job was no longer available. So, he started working as a freelance artist. This meant he worked for many different companies on a project-by-project basis. He created art for big companies like Seagrams, Schlitz beer, Calso Gasoline Company, and Phillip Morris.
In the mid-1960s, a publishing company called Random House hired Harry. They wanted him to work on a new series of children's books. These books were called Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators. Harry drew most of the covers and inside pictures for the first 16 books. This book series became very popular and sold millions of copies!
Later Years and Legacy
In the 1980s, Harry Kane was mostly retired. He lived a quiet life. As he got older, his health became poor, and he moved to a nursing home. Harry Kane passed away in March 1988 due to a serious health problem.
Harry Kane's illustrations helped bring the world of "The Three Investigators" to life for many young readers.
Books Illustrated by Harry Kane
Harry Kane drew the interior pictures for these "Three Investigators" books. He also drew the covers for many of them:
- # 1: The Secret of Terror Castle (1964) - Interiors by Harry Kane
- # 2: The Mystery of the Stuttering Parrot (1964) - Interiors by Harry Kane
- # 3: The Mystery of the Whispering Mummy (1965) - Cover and interiors by Harry Kane
- # 4: The Mystery of the Green Ghost (1965) - Cover and interiors by Harry Kane
- # 5: The Mystery of the Vanishing Treasure (1966) - Cover and interiors by Harry Kane
- # 6: The Secret of Skeleton Island (1966) - Cover and interiors by Harry Kane
- # 7: The Mystery of the Fiery Eye (1967) - Cover and interiors by Harry Kane
- # 8: The Mystery of the Silver Spider (1967) - Cover and interiors by Harry Kane
- # 9: The Mystery of the Screaming Clock (1968) - Cover and interiors by Harry Kane
- # 11: The Mystery of the Talking Skull (1969) - Cover and interiors by Harry Kane
- # 12: The Mystery of the Laughing Shadow (1969) - Cover and interiors by Harry Kane
- # 13: The Secret of the Crooked Cat (1970) - Cover and interiors by Harry Kane
- # 14: The Mystery of the Coughing Dragon (1970) - Cover and interiors by Harry Kane
- # 15: The Mystery of the Flaming Footprints (1971) - Cover and interiors by Harry Kane
- # 16: The Mystery of the Nervous Lion (1971) - Cover and interiors by Harry Kane
