American Artist Henry Farny

Henry Farny (1847-1916)

Born in Alsace, France in 1847, Henry Farny was a son of a political refugee to the United States who first emigrated to Pennsylvania when Henry was six years old. Young Henry became friends with a family group of Seneca Indians who lived near his home. This was the start of  his life’s fascination with Native American Indians which was a focus of his art.

Farny’s family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio in 1859  where Henry landed his first job as an apprentice lithographer. Later, Harper’s Weekly published a two page spread illustration of the city of Cincinnati that Henry Farny had illustrated at a mere 18 years old. Harpers then hired Henry and moved him to their New York City headquarters. But soon after that, Farney believed he would advance better if he studied advanced art. Farney traveled traveled to the Royal Academy in Dusseldorf, Germany where he spent three years studying under the famous artists Herman Hartzog and Thomas Read. He found himself in the company of soon to be acclaimed artists John Twachtman and Frank Duveneck.

Farny returned to Cincinnati, Ohio in 1870 to resume a career in illustration. During this time, he worked for Harper’s Weekly and Century magazine. He also freelanced in illustration from circus posters to the grade school readers of McGuffy’s Eclectic.

 
 

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