N C Wyeth #5

The N. C. Wyeth House, constructed in 1911.


The N. C. Wyeth property, with the studio at right.


On the right, the original 1911 studio; center, the 1923 mural studio; left, the Carolyn Wyeth studio, 1931.


The N. C. Wyeth House dining room.


The 1911 studio, looking towards the Palladian-style north light.


N. C. Wyeth’s brushes, paints, inks, and other supplies.


Looking from the main studio into the mural studio, with a view of William Penn, Man of Vision. Courage. Action, by N. C. Wyeth, a 1933 mural.

"With proceeds from the Treasure Island commission (1911), N.C. Wyeth purchased eighteen acres of land on a hillside near the village of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. He called the property “the most glorious sight” in the township and immediately arranged for a house and studio to be built. In this idyllic location, set amidst beautiful, rolling countryside in the Brandywine River valley, Wyeth felt “totally satisfied that this is the little corner of the world wherein I shall work out my destiny.”
Wyeth had a hand in designing both the house and studio. The house, with its warm brick exterior, “harmonizes absolutely with the landscape,” he wrote. The design, reflective of aspects of local vernacular architecture, was “modest, simple in arrangement,…and homey.” He and his wife Carolyn nurtured a family of five talented children in this delightful home.

The main room of the studio, dominated by an immense three-part Palladian-style window, is a huge cavernous space containing three easels, approximately 900 reference books, and many of the “props” Wyeth used in his work. An early 19th century birch bark canoe hangs from ceiling rafters, and busts of Washington, Lafayette and John Paul Jones peer down from high bookshelves. Here, Wyeth created his iconic visions of knights, cowboys and pirates, painting hundreds of book and magazine illustrations that brought these and other characters to life.

In 1923, Wyeth added the equally dramatic mural studio to achieve the additional height needed for his mural work. This studio is presided over by William Penn. Man of Vision. Courage. Action, a mural Wyeth created in 1932 for the Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company. Returned to the studio in 1997, the Penn mural gives visitors the opportunity to experience the scale in which Wyeth worked." (bron" Historic Artists' Homes & Studios, foto's: Carlos Alejandro)