About the author
John Wesley Dennis (1903–66) was born of an English father and an American mother in 1903 in Massachusetts. His father had come to America with a sporting team, met his mother, married her and stayed. Both their sons were artistic; Wesley Dennis dropped out of school at the age of 17, and went to live with his elder brother Morgan in Boston, where Morgan was working as an artist for the Boston Herald. Wesley went to the New School of Design, and managed to make something of a living from his drawing, doing fashion advertising sketches.
Unlike his brother, who eventually made his living drawing dogs, Wesley Dennis’ interest was horses. He had a horse of his own as a child – Bob – which he was only allowed to keep if the horse earned its living. Bob was trained to harness, and helped cultivate turnips. As an adult, Dennis joined the Massachusetts National Guard Cavalry so he could be with horses. The Government would keep members’ horses free of expense, as long as they could be called on in an emergency, so he bought two polo ponies, and gained more experience of the equine form by getting a job grooming the horses at the Camp.
Although he was earning a successful living with fashion illustration by this point, he found the process immensely dull. In an attempt to move into equestrian illustration, Dennis contacted Lowes Dalbian Luard, a well known animal and landscape artist, who lived in Paris, to ask if he could be taken on as a pupil. Luard replied that he did not take pupils, but would help, and so Dennis set off for Paris, where he was taught to draw from memory, and studied carcasses in the butchers to learn anatomy.
When he returned to America, he earned money by sketching race horses and selling the pictures to their owners. Whilst on honeymoon with his second wife, he met the juvenile editor for the Viking Press, May Massey, who suggested that he write and illustrate a book. Flip was the result. When Marguerite Henry was searching for an illustrator for her first book, Justin Morgan Had a Horse, her first choices, Will James and C W Anderson, were not available. She found Flip in a local library, and so began her collaboration with its artist.
Although Wesley Dennis wrote several titles of his own for younger readers, he is probably best known for his work with Marguerite Henry, for whom he illustrated 15 titles. The combination of the two was hugely successful and many of their titles are still in print now.
Dennis was a prolific illustrator, and there are over 150 books illustrated by him. I have listed as many of the horse titles as I have been able to trace.
Finding the books
All the books Wesley Dennis wrote and illustrated are easy to find. First editions in very good condition can be expensive. The books Dennis illustrated vary in price considerably; very good first editions of the Dorothy Lyons and Marguerite Henry titles can be very expensive. Most of the Henry titles were reprinted several times, and so it is not hard to find very good reprints for a reasonable price, although postage from America to the UK is alas prohibitive now.
Links and sources
The Wesley Dennis website: an excellent site, with unused illustrations, a bibliography and much more.
The Wesley Dennis papers: University of Minnesota
Tumble – biographical information
The National Sporting Library
Many thanks to Susan Bourgeau, Lisa Catz, Alison MacCallum, Kristin, and everyone else who has helped with photographs.
Series
Flip
Flip
Flip and the Cows
Flip and the Morning
Bibliography
Flip
The Viking Press, New York, 1941, 63 pp, illus the author
In the Dandelion Library with I’m Tired of Lions, Viking Press, New York, 1966
Scholastic Paperbacks, 1973
Reprinted by Puffin, New York, 1979
Flip the colt can’t keep up with his mother, but dreams of how he would be able to if only he had wings.
Flip and the Cows
The Viking Press, New York, 1942, 63 pp, illus the author
Scholastic Book Services, 1970
Flip is scared of cows, but has an adventure with them, nevertheless.
Holiday
Viking Press, New York, 1946, 32 pp
Holiday the pony sees a dog win a blue ribbon at a show, and he decides he
would like one too. After hurdling a fence in front of his owner, he starts a new
career as a jumper.
Flip and the Morning
The Viking Press, New York, 1951, 63 pp, illus the author
Reprinted by Puffin Books, New York, 1977
Flip the colt keeps disturbing Willie the goat’s sleep, but he thinks up a clever way of stopping Flip.
Tumble, the Story of a Mustang
Hastings House, New York, 1966, 48 pp, illus the author
A short and charming story about Tumble, a wild mustang, who meets man and
is captured, and then escapes.
Short stories
Palomino and Other Horse Stories
World Publishing Company, Cleveland, 1950, 226 pp
With an introduction and pictures by Wesley Dennis. I don’t yet have a full listing of the contents, but some of the stories included are Chapo the Faker by Will James, Sit Your Saddle Solid by Mari Sandoz. Other contributors include Ernest Thompson Seton and Ross Santee.
Collections
Portfolio of Horse Paintings
Wesley Dennis, with a commentary by Marguerite Henry
Rand McNally, Chicago, 1964, 16 colour plates
About Wesley Dennis
The Illustrated Marguerite Henry
Rand McNally & Company, NY, 1980, 128 pp
Illus Wesley Dennis, Robert Lougheed, Lynd Ward and Rich Rudish
Contains information on the four major Henry illustrators, including Wesley Dennis.
Horse books illustrated by Wesley Dennis
Graham M Dean: Riders of the Gabilans
Viking Press, New York, 1944
John Steinbeck: The Red Pony
Viking Press, New York, 1945
Marguerite Henry: Justin Morgan Had a Horse
Wilcox & Follett, Chicago, 1945
Dorothy Lyons: Golden Sovereign
Harcourt Brace, New York, 1946
Anna Sewell: Black Beauty
World Publishing, Cleveland, 1946
Forrestine C Hooker: Star, the Story of an Indian Pony
World’s Work, Kingswood, 1946
Marguerite Henry: Misty of Chincoteague
Rand McNally, New York, 1947
Theodore J Waldeck: The Golden Stallion
The Viking Press, New York, 1947
David Grew: Beyond Rope and Fence
Grosset & Dunlap, 1947
Stephen Holt: Prairie Colt
Grosset & Dunlap, New York, 1947
Lee McCabe & Norbert Fagan: I’ll Take Cappy
Whittlesey House, New York, 1948
Dorothy Lyons: Red Embers
Harcourt, Brace, 1948
Marguerite Henry: King of the Wind
Rand McNally, New York, 1948
Keith Robertson: Ticktock and Jim
Reprinted by Grosset & Dunlap, 1948, illus Wesley Dennis, in the Famous Horses Series
Charles M Martin: Once a Cowboy
Viking Press, New York, 1948
Keith Robertson: Ticktock and Jim, Deputy Sheriffs
Reprinted by Grosset & Dunlap, 1949, illus Wesley Dennis, in the Famous Horses Series
Dorothy Lyons: Harlequin Hullabaloo/Bluegrass Champion
Harcourt, Brace, 1949, illus Wesley Dennis (right)
Grosset & Dunlap, Famous Horse series
Marguerite Henry: Sea Star, Orphan of Chincoteague
Rand McNally, New York, 1949
Margaret Cabell Self: The Horseman’s Companion
A S Barnes & Co, New York, 1949
Jack Holt & Carolyn Coggins: Lance and His First Horse
Whittlesey House, Nwe York, 1949
Dorothy Lyons: Silver Birch
Harcourt, New York, 1939
3rd edn, cover Wesley Dennis, internal illus. John Austin Taylor (unsure of date)
Marguerite Henry: Born to Trot
Rand McNally, New York, 1950
Jack Holt & Carolyn Coggins: Lance and Cowboy Billy
Whittlesey House, New York, 1950
Dorothy Lyons: Copper Kahn
Harcourt, Brace, 1950
Dorothy Lyons: Dark Sunshine
Harcourt, Brace & World, 1951
Marguerite Henry: Album of Horses
Rand McNally, New York, 1951
Mary Martin Black: Summerfield Farm
The Viking Press, New York, 1951
Henry V Larom: Bronco Charlie, Rider of the Pony Express
Whittlesey, New York, 1951
Helen Orr Watson: Fools Over Horses
Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1952
Frances Cavanah and Ruth Weir: 24 Horses – a Treasury of Stories
Rand McNally, Chicago, 1953
George Agnew Chamberlain: Lord Buff and the Silver Star
A S Barnes & Company, New York, 1953
Dorothy Lyons: Blue Smoke
Harcourt, Brace, 1953
Marguerite Henry: Brighty of the Grand Canyon
Rand McNally, New York, 1953
Mildred Mastin Pace: Old Bones the Wonder Horse
Whittlesey House, New York, 1955
Dorothy Lyons: Java Jive
Harcourt, Brace, 1955
Louise Lawrence Devine: Davy’s Little Horse
Rand McNally, 1956
Peggie Cannam: Black Fury
Whittlesea House, New York, 1956
Shannon Garst: Crazy About Horses
Hastings House, New York, 1957
Marguerite Henry: Black Gold
Rand McNally, New York, 1957
Dorothy Lyons: Bright Wampum
Harcourt, Brace, 1958, cover and frontis
Henry V Larom: Ride Like an Indian!
Whittlesey, New York, 1958
Belle Coates: That Colt Fireplug
Charles Scribners, New York, 1958
Hermann Wiederhold: Your Pony Book
Stephen Greene Press, Vermont, 1958
Jocelyn Arundel: Jingo Wild Horse of Abaco
Whittlesey House, 1959
Wilma Pitchford Hays: The Little Horse That Raced a Train
Lilttle Brown & Co, Boston, 1959
Lilian Moore: Tony the Pony
McGraw Hill, New York, 1959
Jocelyn Arundel: Dugan and the Hobo
McGraw Hill, 1960
Dorothy Lyons: Smoke Rings
Harcourt, Brace, 1960
Dorothy Lyons: Midnight Moon
Harcourt, Brace & Co, 1960 reprint, cover Wesley Dennis, internal illus W.C. Nims
Florence K Peterson & Irene Smith: A Cavalcade Of Horses In Fact, Fantasy and Fiction
Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1961
Jane McIlvaine: Cammie’s Challenge
Bobbs Merrill, Indianapolis, 1961
Miska Miles: Kickapoo
Little Brown, Boston, 1961
Marguerite Henry: All About Horses
Random House, New York, 1962
Jocelyn Arundel: Whitecap’s Song
Whittlsey House, New York, 1962
Marguerite Henry: Five O’Clock Charlie
Rand McNally, New York, 1962
Wilma Pitchford Hays: The Little Hawaiian Horse
Little, Brown & Co, Boston, 1963
Marguerite Henry: Stormy, Misty’s Foal
Rand McNally, New York, 1963
Miska Miles: See a White Horse
Little Brown, Boston, 1963
Marjorie Reynolds: A Horse Called Mystery
Harper & Row, New York, 1964
Marguerite Henry: White Stallion of Lipizza
Rand McNally, New York, 1964
Maureen Daly: The Ginger Horse
Dodd Mead, New York, 1964
Jocelyn Arundel: Shoes for Punch
McGraw Hill, New York, 1964
Wilma Pitchford Hayss: Little Hurricane Happy
Little Brown & Co, Boston, 1965
Suzanne Wilding: The Book of Ponies
St Martin’s Press, 1965
Maureen Daly: Small War of Sergeant Donkey
Dodd, Mead, New York, 1966
Marguerite Henry: Dear Readers and Riders
Rand McNally, New York, 1969
Marguerite Henry: A Pictorial Life Story of Misty
Rand McNally, 1976
