Wilhelm Heinrich Detlev Körner
Wilhelm Heinrich Detlev "Big Bill" Körner (November 1878 – August 11, 1938), also known as Wilhelm Heinrich Dethlef Koerner, William HD Koerner, WHDK, or W.H.D. Koerner,[1] was a noted illustrator of the American West whose works became known to new audiences when his painting, nicknamed A Charge to Keep, was used as the cover image for the ghostwritten biography by the same name by George W. Bush. This painting, which hung in the Oval Office during the Bush presidency was of special interest to journalists due to the interpretation given by Bush of the painting's meaning in light of the meaning and title attached to the painting by the artist.[1]
Life and career
Koerner was born in
Howard Pyle died in 1911, and Koerner published a tribute in the
From 1922 onwards, Koerner illustrated more than two hundred and fifty stories with Western themes and painted over six hundred pictures for periodicals. He illustrated a number of books that later were made into films based on his illustrations, including those by author Zane Grey (The Drift Fence [film: Drift Fence] and Sunset Pass [three films, all titled Sunset Pass]) and Eugene Manlove Rhodes' classic, Paso Por Aqui (film: Four Faces West). It is estimated he completed nearly two thousand illustrations of which about eighteen hundred were done for magazines, as well as advertisements for C. W. Post's Grape-Nuts and Postum cereals.
Comic strip
Körner also made the short-lived comic strip Hugo Hercules, which was drawn in 1902, but it was terminated after only five months. Despite its short length, it is widely considered to be the first superhero fiction comic.[3]
References
- ^ a b Horton, Scott. Harper's Magazine. The Illustrated President
- ^ Hutchinson, William Henry. World, the Work, and the West of W.H.D. Koerner.
- ^ "William H. D. Koerner".