"Charles Livingston Bull was the premier wildlife artist of his time in America, perhaps the best of his kind in the world..." This high compliment was paid by the Society of Illustrators and reflected the general recognition of Bull's talents. He received his artistic schooling at the Philadelphia Art School. His skills included taxidermy and he was skilled in bird and animal anatomy.

The quality and speed of his taxidermy skills earned him the position of Chief Taxidermist at the National Museum in Washington, D.C. Bull used the Washington Zoo as a source for his sketching and he took night classes at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington. After a period, he moved to New York City to pursue his art career as a freelance animal illustrator.

Bull was an ardent preservationist and advocated for that and strong biological protections. Many of his images - including that of the bald eagle - were done to create public support for endangered species. He was also a book magazine illustrator and he did the art for Jack London's first edition of 'Call of the Wild."

In addition to the 135 books he illustrated, he contributed work for general interest magazines, such as The Saturday Evening Post, Life, Collier's, American Boy, and Country Gentleman.

Bull, along with many other artists of his time, was influenced by Japanese prints. His works are generally flat and decorative, with strong sinuous lines. Bull tightly cropped his compositions, creating a feeling of action and urgency. His work contains elements of the Art Nouveau and the Arts and Crafts movement.

Bull was able to adapt his style to poster illustration and he created some of the most enduring images from the first half of the twentieth century. Clients included Packard, Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey and his effort during World War I to sell savings stamps. He also designed posters for a number of federal government departments as part of the World War I effort.

Created/Published : 1917

Creator : Charles Livingston Bull, artist, 1874-1932

Housed in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress

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Product #: cph3g09663