Frank Earle Schoonover [1877-1972]
Hans Brinker
Schoonover, Frank Earle, American illustrator, painter, 1877-1972
1924
oil on canvas
Bequest of Margaretta Miller, 1982


The story of Hans Brinker, written by Mary Mapes Dodge, editor of the children’s magazine St Nicholas, is too well known to go into here, but the Schoonover archives in the Museum’s library give us a rare opportunity to follow the actual creation of the printing and to share a week in the life of a hard—working, professional illustrator..

Schoonover’s daybook for 1924 shows us that he began work on this painting on Saturday, February 2, and spent the day working on it, doubtless working up the general composition. The next day, Sunday, as seems to have been his custom, he did not work; but all of the following Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, he worked on it from his imagination. On Thursday, the painting was well enough established for Schoonover to call in a model from whom he could begin to put in details of face and clothing. The model, Leslie, posed for half that day and another half-day On Friday, February 8. On Friday, Schoonover was evidently sufficiently satisfied with the progress of the painting to begin another commission from Penn Publishing Co for in illustration for At the Sign 0f the Sliver Ship, on which he spent the other half of Friday. He worked on Silver Ship on Saturday, took Sunday off, and worked on it again a half-day on Monday and Tuesday. On Tuesday, the 12th, the Hans Brinker painting was dry enough for final revisions and Schoonover hired another model, Tim, for the half-day needed to complete it.

Schoonover must have sent it off to the offices of Harper’s in New York as soon as it was dry enough to travel, because by March 20 he was worried enough about not having been paid for his work to write to the vice-president of Harper’s, A W. Rushmore, about the matter. On the 25th, Rushmore replied,

Referring to your letter of the 20th in which you pat yourself on the back for doing such a nice wrapper for Hans Brinker and with the other hand bat me behind the ear for not paying for it —we did not think you needed any money. The picture rested along side my desk while the border and lettering were being drawn instead of going down and being entered for payment...”

Rowland Elzea