John R. Neill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John R. Neill
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| Born |
John Rea Neill
November 12, 1877 |
| Died | September 13, 1943 (aged 65) |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Illustration |
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Notable work
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Land of Oz |
John Rea Neill (born November 12, 1877 – died September 19, 1943) was a talented illustrator. He is best known for drawing pictures for over forty stories set in the magical Land of Oz. These include books by L. Frank Baum, Ruth Plumly Thompson, and even three of his own Oz stories.
His unique pen-and-ink drawings became strongly connected with the Oz series. While he also did a lot of work for magazines and newspapers, his Oz illustrations are what most people remember today.
Contents
Early Life and First Drawings
John R. Neill was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He started drawing for his high school newspaper in 1894. He briefly attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. However, he left after just one semester, feeling he had learned enough.
After that, Neill worked on advertising art for a large department store. He then became an artist for the Philadelphia North American newspaper. For the newspaper, he created comic strips like Toyland and illustrations for stories. He also drew for the Sunday comics page called 'The Little Journeys of Nip and Tuck'.
His big break came in 1904. He was asked to illustrate The Marvelous Land of Oz. This was the second Oz book written by L. Frank Baum. The first Oz book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, had been illustrated by W. W. Denslow.
Neill's Art Career
At first, Neill's drawings for the Oz books looked a bit like W. W. Denslow's. This helped keep the characters familiar to readers. However, as the Oz series grew, Neill began to add his own special style. He created more artistic pictures of the characters and beautiful paintings of different scenes. Because of his amazing work, he was later given the title of the Imperial Illustrator of Oz.
Neill's illustrations appeared in many popular magazines in the early 1900s. Some of these included Collier's, Vanity Fair, The Saturday Evening Post, and The Ladies Home Journal. He also contributed a lot of artwork to Argosy magazine in the early 1930s.
How Dorothy Changed
When W. W. Denslow first drew Dorothy, she looked like a chubby five or six-year-old. She had long brown hair in two thick braids. But John R. Neill changed Dorothy's look in 1907. This was when she returned in the book Ozma of Oz.
Neill drew Dorothy as a more fashionable girl, about ten years old. She wore modern American clothes and had blonde hair cut in a stylish bob. Other female characters in the Oz books also got a similar updated look from Neill.
His Work on Oz Books
After L. Frank Baum passed away, Neill continued to illustrate the Oz books. His artwork was very important. It helped make Ruth Plumly Thompson's Oz books feel like true parts of the series to Baum's fans. Eventually, Neill became the main "Oz historian" himself. He even wrote several Oz books.
Neill wrote The Wonder City of Oz, The Scalawagons of Oz, and Lucky Bucky in Oz. These books were published each year from 1940 to 1942. They are considered part of the Famous Forty Oz books.
His very last work was The Runaway in Oz. He started drawing for it before he died, but he couldn't finish all the illustrations. The book was finally published in 1995. It tells the adventures of the Patchwork Girl and introduces some new characters created by Neill.
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Other Books He Illustrated
Besides the Oz series, John R. Neill illustrated many other books. One well-known book he adapted was Little Black Sambo from 1899. Neill's version of Little Black Sambo was published in 1908.
Legacy and Art Project
In 2018, a project called "The Lost Art of Oz" began. Its goal is to find and list all the original artwork created by John R. Neill and other artists for the Oz book series. This project helps preserve the amazing art that brought the Land of Oz to life.
