The Whip-poor-will
Datec. 1915
Artist
Oliver Herford
(American illustrator and poet, 1863–1935)
Illustration Citation"The Whip-poor-will / a Sonnet," by Oliver Herford, Century Magazine, March 1915, page 673. Poem and illustration by Oliver Herford.
MediumGraphite on illustration board
Dimensionscomposition: 12 1/2 × 8 1/8 in. (31.8 × 20.6 cm)
sheet: 15 × 10 5/16 in. (38.1 × 26.2 cm)
sheet: 15 × 10 5/16 in. (38.1 × 26.2 cm)
Credit LineGift Dr. Christine Isabelle Oaklander in honor of Harriet Memeger, 2018
Object number2018-27
On View
Not on viewClassificationsDRAWING
Label TextBorn in England and educated in America, Oliver Herford was a humorist who wrote and illustrated light verse. The Whippoorwill (Herford’s poem appeared in the oval) is a good example of one of his specialties: anthropomorphized animals. This scene of birds’ domestic lives—raucous for the two at the top, and romantic below—has the graceful lines and delicate tones typical of Herford’s best work. He gives the same sensitive treatment to the lettering, natural setting, and diminutive furniture.
