True Williams facts for kids

Truman W. "True" Williams (born March 22, 1839 – died November 23, 1897) was an American artist. He is famous for drawing pictures for many of Mark Twain's books. He drew the very first pictures for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in 1876. This means he was the first to show what characters like Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn looked like.

Williams also drew pictures for other Mark Twain books. These include Sketches, New and Old, Roughing It, and The Innocents Abroad. He worked with many different publishers. He also illustrated books by other writers like Bill Nye, George W. Peck, and Joaquin Miller.

Early Life and Career

One of Williams' earliest published works: rebel prisoners at Camp Douglas (April 5, 1862)

Truman W. Williams was born on March 22, 1839. His parents were Asa and Louisa Keelar Williams. He grew up in Watertown, New York. Williams taught himself how to draw. He showed his artistic talent from a young age.

One of his first published drawings appeared in Harper's Weekly in April 1862. It showed Confederate prisoners from the Civil War. Williams later joined a volunteer army unit in Illinois. He served from 1863 to 1865. During this time, he worked under General William T. Sherman. He was a topographical engineer, which means he helped map out the land.

Williams started working as a professional illustrator in the 1860s. Two of his drawings were in a book called Beyond the Mississippi in 1869. By 1870, he was back in New York. His work began appearing in Harper's Bazar magazine and other New York publications.

Illustrating Mark Twain's Books

Williams' iconic image of Tom Sawyer

Williams' first work for Mark Twain was for the book The Innocents Abroad. He drew most of the pictures for this book. Albert Bigelow Paine, who wrote about Twain's life, called Innocents "Twain's greatest book of travel." Paine also said that Williams "caught perfectly the light and spirit of the author's text." This means Williams' drawings really matched the feeling of Twain's writing.

Some people had different opinions about Williams' art. Literary critic Michael Patrick Hearn thought his drawings varied. He said they could be "coarse" (rough) or "highly sentimental" (very emotional). For his work in Tom Sawyer, Warren Chappell noted that Williams sometimes didn't read the text carefully. For example, in the famous whitewashing scene, Williams drew a rail fence instead of the board fence described in the book.

Even with these comments, Williams' style in Tom Sawyer was important. It influenced E. W. Kemble's drawings for Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1884.

Other Works

Besides his work with Mark Twain, Williams also illustrated other books. He drew pictures for the autobiography of P. T. Barnum, a famous showman. He also illustrated books by humorists George Wilbur Peck and Bill Nye. His drawings appeared in popular magazines like Harper's Weekly and Harper's Bazaar.

Williams also wrote his own adventure novel. It was called Frank Fairweather's Fortunes. He also edited a book of poems called Under the Open Sky. Both of these books were released in 1890. Williams drew all the pictures for them himself.

Personal Life and Death

Williams married Carrie M. Heath on April 19, 1884. Sadly, she passed away in 1885. Their baby son also died shortly after. On July 27, 1886, Williams married Rose Heath, who was Carrie's younger sister. They later divorced in 1892.

Truman W. Williams passed away in Chicago, Illinois, on November 23, 1897. He was 58 years old. He died from a sudden internal health issue.

List of Works

Mark Twain at work, from A Tramp Abroad

Williams' drawings appear in six books by Mark Twain:

• The Innocents Abroad (1869)
• Roughing It (1872)
• The Gilded Age (1873)
• Sketches New and Old (1875)
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876)
• A Tramp Abroad (1880)

Williams' own books:

• Frank Fairweather's Fortunes (1890)

Books by other authors that Williams illustrated:

• Struggles and Triumphs (1869) by P. T. Barnum
• Unwritten History: Life Amongst the Modocs (1874) by Joaquin Miller
• Bill Nye's Chestnuts Old & New (1888) by Bill Nye
• Peck's Bad Boy and His Pa (1890), by George W. Peck