HOWARD PYLE.
"It was a Comrade from His Own Regiment." Frontispiece illustration for "Landegon" by W.G. Beymer, published in Harper's Monthly Magazine (November, 1909, page 812) and published again as the frontispiece for Beymer's book On Hazardous Service (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1912). Oil on canvas. 686x458 mm; 27x18 inches. Signed "H. Pyle" lower right image. Framed.

Provenance: The artist (to 1925); private collection; Illustration House, May 2, 1992; Private collection.

a stunning work by the father of american illustration.

In his distinctive style, Howard Pyle captures the tension of the moment in this Civil War tale of an American Federal soldier who narrowly escapes hanging: "Landegon lay alone in the long black hall--alone, listening to the footsteps coming nearer; he heard them reach the door. He raised himself on one elbow--it was as far as he could go. The angry knocks on the door sounded like thunder; without waiting for a reply, the door was burst open by a booted foot, and a man stood for a moment back against the graying sky. `Does anyone live in this house? he roared.`"