Movement, Style, School or Type of Art:
Illustration
St. John, while best known for his numerous book and pulp cover illustrations, was also a portraitist and landscape painter of high reputation.
Date and Place of Birth:
October 1, 1872, Chicago, Illinois
Life:
James Allen was the son of a painter and had early, fond memories of absorbing the Parisian art scene with her. (Ha!) After showing himself ill-suited for a "respectable" business career, his peeved father sent him West to become a cowboy. Once there, he instead took up with painter Eugene Torrey - which led to studies at the Art Students' League in New York, the Academy Julian in Paris and a hugely successful career. He is best known for illustrating the Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzan books.
Important Works:
- Liberty Loan poster competition award, 1918
- Tarzan and the Golden Lion dustjacket and 8 interior plates, 1923
- Tarzan at the Earth's Core wraparound dustjacket and frontispiece, 1930
- Professor of Life Drawing and Illustration, American Academy of Art, 1935-56
Date and Place of Death:
May 23, 1957, Chicago, Illinois
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