Darley was born on June 23, 1822, in
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. in
Cambridge, Massachusetts Darley was a self-taught and prolific artist who started out as a staff artist for a
Philadelphia publishing company, where he was given a wide variety of assignments. He later moved to
New York City, and his work began to appear in magazines such as ''
Harper's Weekly'' and in books by various publishers. Darley made 500 drawings for
Benson John Lossing's
History of the United States. Among his
lithographic illustrations are those for
Washington Irving's "
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", and some scenes in Indian life. The swing and vigor of his style, his facility, and versatility and the high average merit of his numerous works, make him one of the most noteworthy of American illustrators. Darley signed a contract with
Edgar Allan Poe on January 31, 1843, to create original illustrations for his upcoming literary journal
The Stylus. The contract, which was through July 1, 1844, requested at least three illustrations per month, "on wood or paper as required," but no more than five, for $7 per illustration.
The Stylus was never actually produced but Darley provided illustrations for the final installments of the first serial publication of Poe's award-winning tale "
The Gold-Bug" later that year. In 1848, Darley provided the drawings for the first fully illustrated edition of Irving's "
Rip Van Winkle", which was printed and distributed by the
American Art-Union. That same year, Darley also illustrated an edition of Irving's
The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. and then his ''
Wolfert's Roost'' in 1855. Over his career, he produced nearly 350 drawings for James Fenimore Cooper, later collected in a several-volume edition of Cooper's novels printed from 1859 to 1861. In 1868, following a visit to
Europe, he published
Sketches Abroad with Pen and Pencil. His
water color paintings of incidents in American history are full of spirit and include
bank-note vignettes. Darley died in 1888 at his home in
Claymont, Delaware, and was buried at
Mount Auburn Cemetery in
Cambridge, Massachusetts. His
Victorian mansion, located in Claymont, is now known as the
Darley House and was placed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 1974. ==Illustrations==