Civil War Artist

William Forbes arrives in New York in 1861, eager to start a career as an artist. When he has difficulty finding work, he signs on with Burton’s Illustrated News to sketch the battles of the Civil War. This historical account shows how the news was reported, from William’s sketches of dangerous battle scenes through the making of a wood engraving and finally to the printed page of the newspapers of the day.

Traces an illustrator's sketch of a Civil War battle from the time it leaves his hands, through the engraving and printing processes, and to its final publication in a newspaper.

William Forbes arrives in New York in 1861, eager to start a career as an artist. When he has difficulty finding work, he signs on with Burton’s Illustrated News to sketch the battles of the Civil War. This historical account shows how the news was reported, from William’s sketches of dangerous battle scenes through the making of a wood engraving and finally to the printed page of the newspapers of the day.

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6-This historically accurate account of a fictional sketch artist's role in recording events through illustrated news stories is presented in picture-book format. Morrison mentions the work of photographer Mathew Brady but explains that early photographs could not capture movement or be printed in newspapers. Thus, it was left to sketch artists to record Civil War battle scenes. The author carefully follows the four-week journey of a battlefield drawing from the artist's pad to the newspaper office via courier and once there through a multistep process to the printed page. While readers may not understand all of the stages of this time-consuming process, they will grasp its complexity. Morrison's attractive full-color illustrations provide additional informative detail. An excellent example of illustrated history.-Rosie Peasley, Empire Union School District, Modesto, CA Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Taylor Morrison pairs his artistic talent with extensive research to bring readers engaging nonfiction picturebooks. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, he has illustrated several books for children. He was born in Kansas, raised in Illinois, and now makes his home in Oregon.