A Wolf Had Not Been Seen at Salem for Thirty Years
Date1909
Artist
Howard Pyle
(American illustrator, 1853–1911)
Illustration Citation"The Salem Wolf," by Howard Pyle, in Harper's Monthly Magazine, December 1909
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions17 1/2 x 29 1/2 in. (44.5 x 74.9 cm)
frame: 2 x 23 x 34 7/8 in. (5.1 x 58.4 x 88.6 cm)
frame: 2 x 23 x 34 7/8 in. (5.1 x 58.4 x 88.6 cm)
Credit LineMuseum Purchase, 1912
Object number1912-50
On View
On viewClassificationsPAINTING
Label TextPyle's tale recalls the days of the Salem witch trials in the 1690s. The spellbound group at left, and those following over the hill, cower isolated against an expanse of snow, bare trees, and bleak sky. Their expressions and gestures embody physical and psychological fear, as they contemplate the fanged animal—actually a bewitched girl transformed into a wolf. Ultimately the possessed girl dies but not before wreaking violence on most of the story's characters.
