Cooper Hewitt says...
Charles (Charley) Harper (American, 1922-2007) was raised on his family’s farm in West Virginia. He studied at the Art Academy of Cincinnati until he was drafted to serve during World War II. After completing his service, he returned to the Art Academy and graduated in 1947. He married his classmate, Edie McKee, shortly after their graduation. They lived and worked from home studios in Cincinnati, where Harper also taught at the Art Academy. They had one son, Brett, with whom they eventually formed Harper Studios.
Harper’s subjects featured nature and wildlife, particularly birds. He created posters for the U.S. National Park Service and designed interpretive displays for Everglades National Park. He also illustrated books, including The Golden Book of Biology (Golden Press, 1961), and magazines, including Ford Times, a general-interest publication of Ford Motor Company in the 1950s and 1960s. He was a member of Associated American Artists, through which he sold textile designs.
In the early 2000s, he and designer Todd Oldham collaborated on a line of housewares featuring Harper’s illustrations. Oldham compiled a 400-page collection entitled Charley Harper: An Illustrated Life (AMMO Books, 2007).
December 8, 2006 was declared “Charley Harper Day” by the mayor of Cincinnati. The following year, Harper died of pneumonia at age 84.
