Harold Von Schmidt

He was born in Alameda, California, in 1893. Orphaned at the age of five, he spent a year in an orphanage before going on to live with his grandfather. As a youth, Von Schmidt worked as a cowhand as well as a construction worker. He began his art studies at the California School of Arts and Crafts while still in high school and later worked in advertising.

In 1924, he moved to New York City and enrolled in the Grand Central School of Art, studying under teacher Harvey Dunn. Von Schmidt became close friends with Arthur Mitchell and often spent holidays with Mitchell's family. Harold Von Schmidt's work primarily appeared in magazines such as Collier's Weekly, Cosmopolitan, Liberty, The Saturday Evening Post, and Sunset Magazine. Although he preferred magazine work and illustrated only a few books, he dedicated two years to preparing sixty illustrations for a deluxe edition of Willa Cather's "Death Comes for the Archbishop," a novel based on the life of Archbishop Lamy, persecutor of the Penitente Brotherhood and defining figure of the Southwest. Von Schmidt believed that interior illustrations suited his style better, allowing him to create the realistic action scenes for which he was renowned. The combination of his knowledge of horse anatomy and the intense action in many of his paintings evokes the feeling of being in the midst of the action.

In 1948, he was recruited by Albert Dorne to be one of the founding faculty members of the Famous Artists School. In 1968, he was awarded the first gold medal by the trustees of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. Harold Von Schmidt passed away on June 3, 1982, in Westport, Connecticut.