Louis Rhead facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Louis John Rhead
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Louis Rhead circa 1907
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| Born | November 6, 1857 Etruria, Staffordshire
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| Died | July 29, 1926 (aged 68) |
| Nationality | British, American |
| Education | National Art Training School |
| Known for | Decorative Arts, Illustrator |
Louis John Rhead (November 6, 1857 – July 29, 1926) was a talented artist, illustrator, and writer. He was born in England in 1857. When he was 24, he moved to the United States. He became an American citizen and was also a very keen fisherman!
Contents
Early Life and Art Training
Louis Rhead's family had been potters for a long time in England. His father, George W. Rhead, was a skilled artist who worked with pottery. He also taught art and started an art school.
Louis and his brothers and sisters all learned art from their father. They also worked in the potteries when they were children. Louis's brothers, Frederick Alfred Rhead and George Woolliscroft Rhead Jr., were also artists. Sometimes, Louis worked with them on projects like illustrating books.
Louis showed amazing artistic talent from a young age. When he was just 13, in 1872, his father sent him to study art in Paris, France. He learned from a famous artist named Gustave Boulanger.
After three years in Paris, Louis came back to England. He worked as a ceramic artist for well-known pottery companies like Minton and Wedgwood. In 1879, he won a scholarship to study at the National Art Training School in London. After finishing his studies in 1881, he worked for a London publisher called Cassell.
Moving to the U.S. and Becoming an Illustrator
In 1883, when Louis Rhead was 24, he got an exciting job offer. A publishing company in New York City, D. Appleton, wanted him to be their Art Director. He accepted the job and moved to the U.S. that fall. In 1884, he married Catherine Bogart Yates and became an American citizen. They lived in Flatbush, Brooklyn, for 40 years.
In the early 1890s, Louis Rhead became very famous for his posters. His art was inspired by the Swiss artist Eugène Grasset. During this time, Rhead's posters appeared in many popular magazines. These included Harper's Bazaar, Harper's Magazine, and Ladies' Home Journal.
His work was so popular that he had an exhibition in Paris, France. In 1895, he won a Gold Medal for the Best American Poster Design. This was at the first International Poster Show in Boston.
As poster art became less popular, Rhead started focusing on illustrating books. From 1902 until his death in 1926, he illustrated many children's books. These books were published by Harpers and other companies. Some of the most famous books he illustrated include:
Louis Rhead's Love for Fishing
Louis Rhead was a very passionate fly fisherman. He started fishing for trout in the U.S. around 1888 or 1890. In 1901, he became very interested in writing and drawing about fishing. Many of his later books and articles were about fishing and fly fishing.
Rhead even sold his own special fishing flies! His most famous book about fishing is American Trout-Stream Insects (1916). When it was published, this book was one of the first and most complete studies of insects found in American streams. These insects are important because they are what trout eat.
Paul Schullery, a writer about fly fishing, said that Louis Rhead was a very creative and inspiring writer. He called Rhead "a man of extraordinary gifts."
Later Life and Passing
Louis Rhead passed away in 1926 at his home in Amityville, Long Island. His death was quite unusual. A newspaper article from The New York Times on July 30, 1926, explained what happened.
LOUIS RHEAD, ARTIST AND ANGLER, DEAD. Exhausted Recently by Long Struggle In Capturing a 30-pound Turtle.
... About two weeks ago Mr. Rhead set out to catch a turtle weighing thirty pounds which had been devastating trout ponds on his place, Seven Oaks. After the turtle was hooked, it put up a fight for more than half an hour. Although Mr. Rhead was successful in the end, he became exhausted. A short time later he suffered from his first attack of heart disease. Yesterday's was his second.
It seems that about two weeks before he passed, Mr. Rhead had a long struggle. He was trying to catch a very large, 30-pound turtle. This turtle had been causing problems in the trout ponds on his property. After a long fight, he caught the turtle, but he became very tired. Soon after, he had a heart attack. He passed away after a second heart attack.
Exhibitions and Legacy
Bernard Bumpus (1921–2004) was an expert on the Rhead family. In the 1980s, he organized an exhibition called Rhead Artists and Potters. This show was at the Museum of the Home in London. It featured art by the Rhead family, including some of Louis Rhead's fishing flies. The exhibition traveled to several museums in the UK.
In the early 20th century, Rhead wrote many articles about fishing. These articles appeared in popular sports magazines. Some of these magazines were The American Angler, Outing Magazine, and Field & Stream.
Images for kids
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The Quartier Latin: a magazine devoted to the arts. Advertising poster ca. 1895
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Rhead in his studio circa 1920
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Rhead exhibition in Salon des Cent, 1897
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Read The Sun. 1900
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"Fly fishing", a book-plate by Louis Rhead
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David and Goliath from The Psalms of David
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Robin Hood and Marion in their Bower
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Softly Creeping and Lightly Dropping from Speckled Brook Trout
