Vernon Howe Bailey

Vernon Howe Bailey (April 1, 1874 in Camden, New Jersey –October 27, 1953) was an American artist. After undertaking art studies, he was a staff member at The Philadelphia Times and the Boston Herald. He also contributed to publications including Scribner's and Harper's.

Biography

At the age of 15, Bailey became a student at the Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art in Philadelphia. A year later one of his drawings of flowers was accepted for the annual exhibition of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts where he later studied. In addition to these schools he also had the chance to study at Royal College of Art, London; Académie Delécluse, and Académie Bilouil, Paris, France. Deciding that “he wanted to see great events and make pictures of them,” he joined the art staff of The Philadelphia Times in 1892 and two years later went to The Boston Herald. He found plenty of action for his pencil in the life of the city-crime, court trials, fires, and shipwrecks-and in the political conventions of 1900."

"From 1892-1901 he was a staff artist on the Philadelphia Times and the Boston Herald, to later contribute to Scribner's, Harper's, The Century, Everybody's and other leading, The Harper's Weekly, Leslies Weekly and Colliers. Throughout this experience he had to travel extensively. In 1902 he represented the Boston Herald as special artist at the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra in London. Then in 1907 he visited Paris, London, Italy, and Germany as a special staff artist for Harper's Magazine. Upon the entry of the United States into World War I in 1917, Bailey was the first artist authorized to make drawings of navy yards, gun shops and munition plants." "The drawings that he did were later published and exhibited in art museums widely and won Bailey the Official Thanks of Josephus Daniel the former Secretary of the Navy."

Once returning to the United States the series of lithograph studies of New York skyscrapers in 1927 that Bailey did were later exhibited in London under the patronage of the Dutchess of Rutland. "After exhibition in London, the drawings were taken to the National Library and Museums in Madrid under the auspices of the Duke of Alba. The exhibition was opened by King Alfonso XIII, who issued him a Royal Decree of Thanks, and he was elected a Corresponding Member of the Royal Academy of Find Arts of San Fernando."

Another significant moment in Bailey's life was the time when he had the chance to be the only artist permitted to produce a comprehensive collection of drawings of the Pope's private apartments. This project took Bailey a year and during this amazing experience he was able to choose whatever composition and subject he wanted. He created over 100 watercolors and drawings. Later the collection was exhibited in the American Art Association-Anderson Galleries in New York.

Gallery