[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 16448-16449]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



       ``REMEMBERING DARLEY, ILLUSTRATION PIONEER, ACT OF 2001''

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL N. CASTLE

                              of delaware

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 5, 2001

  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the ``Remembering 
Darley, Illustration Pioneer, Act of 2001.'' This legislation expresses 
the sense of Congress that a commemorative stamp should be issued to 
honor

[[Page 16449]]

the great American illustrator Felix Octavius Carr (F.O.C.) Darley and 
that the Citizens' Stamp Advisory committee should recommend to the 
Postmaster General that such a stamp be issued.
  The United States was less than fifty years old at the time of F.O.C. 
Darley's birth in 1821, and contemporary writers often lamented the new 
nation's lack of myths, legends, and historical associations. However, 
in collaboration with the writers whose works he illustrated, Darley 
helped to popularize such icons of national identity as the Pilgrim, 
the Pioneer, the Minutemen, and the Yankee Peddler. In so doing, he 
helped define the ways in which American readers imagined much of their 
own past.
  Self-taught, Felix Octavius Carr Darley created an immense volume of 
work over a long career Beginning as a staff artist with a Philadelphia 
publisher and then moving to Delaware in 1859, he illustrated on a wide 
variety of subjects. While in Delaware, Darley illustrated such famous 
literary works as Charles Dickens' ``A Tale of Two Cities;'' Nathaniel 
Hawthorne's ``The Scarlet Letter;'' Clement Clark Moore's a ``A Visit 
From Saint Nicholas;'' Washington Irving's ``The Legend of Sleepy 
Hallow,'' ``Rip Van Winkle,'' and the five-volume ``Life of George 
Washington;'' and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's ``Evangeline.'' Later, 
in New York, his work was reproduced by numerous book publishers, 
Harpers Weekly, and other magazines.
  So great was Darley's fame during his lifetime that many books were 
advertised as ``Illustrated by Darley,'' as was the case with Clement 
Clark Moore's ``A Visit From Saint Nicholas.'' Moore's name did not 
actually appear on the original cover, only Felix Octavius Carr Darley.
  Darley was elected a member of the Academy of Design in 1852. Later 
he became a member of the Artist's fund Society; and, most recently 
Darley was inducted into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame in 
2001. Presently, the Delaware home of Felix Ocatvius Carr Darley is 
listed on the National Historic Register and is maintained by members 
of the Darley Society.
  It is for these reasons that we should take the steps necessary to 
honor the very first in a long line of great American illustrators, 
Felix Ocatvius Carr Darley by enacting legislation that will require 
the Postmaster General to issue a stamp commemorating his great 
achievements. There is no easier way to show our support for the arts, 
and for those persons, such as F.O.C. Darley, that have dedicated their 
lives to brushing just a bit of color into the imaginations of 
countless Americans. I urge my colleagues to cosponsor this legislation 
and recognize Darley's fine work and contributions to our American 
heritage.

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