Artist, wood engraver. John DePol was born in New York City in 1913. He left school at the
age of sixteen to help support his family. During World War II he served in the U.S. Army
Air Corps and was stationed in Ireland. During this period, he studied lithography and
produced several illustrations and prints. Following the war, DePol worked as a graphic
designer and began wood engraving in 1947. Since that time, DePol has illustrated over two
hundred books and widely exhibited his work. He has spent several decades teaching the art
of wood engraving.
The collection primarily consists of prints, cards, and copies on paper of several
illustrations and wood engravings by DePol. Also included are articles discussing the
artist's work, exhibition announcements and catalogs, a small amount of correspondence,
miscellaneous documents and ephemera, as well as publications and other texts written or
collected by DePol. Several items have typewritten commentaries by the artist explaining
their significance. Of particular interest is a career retrospective entitled "A Time for
Recollection" accumulated by DePol and featuring copies of his engravings, captions, and
illustrations spanning three decades of his life.
Collection is open for research.
[Identification of item], John DePol Collection, Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University
of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
The collection was donated by John DePol in 2000 and 2002.
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John DePol Collection
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Box 1 |
Article. "DePol's New York at South Street." The Printer. October 1997
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Article. "Focus on Events: RIT Book Arts Institute Wood Engraving Workshop." Leslie Evans. Letterpress Guild of New England
10th Anniversary Issue, vol. 9. Autumn 1992
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Article. "A Good Short Story Must Be News." Reviews by Frank O'Connor. The New York Times Book Review (2 copies). June 10, 1956 |
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Article. "John DePol." American Friends of the Bodleian Newsletter. Two articles. 1992-1993, 1996? |
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Article. "John DePol and the Typophiles." Review by Geoff Spencer in Amphora. Spring 2000 |
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Article. "John DePol, Wood-Engraver." David Chambers. The Private Library. Winter 1999 |
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Article. Miscellaneous short articles on DePol. 1979-1988 |
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Article. "New Rare Books: William Everson and Others." Georgetown University Library Associates Newsletter. August 1991 |
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Article. "Typophiles Tribute to Wood Engraver John DePol has Many Memories for New York Area Printers." Brett Rutherford.
Printing News. February 8, 1999
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Article. "Village Artists Exhibits." The Villager. New York. July 3, 1947 |
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Card. The Gate to St. Mary's Cathedral, Limerick, Eire. |
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Card. Greetings from Attu. |
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Card. In Northern Ireland, 1944. |
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Card. The Lower Hudson River from the Erie Pier in Hoboken.". |
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Card. The Old Distillery at Ballyronan, Northern Ireland. |
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Card. The Square, Belfast, Northern Ireland. |
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Card. Untitled Christmas card (2 copies). |
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Career Retrospective. "A Time for Recollection." Numbered and one unnumbered double sheets: copies of DePol's engravings,
captions, illustrations, and an accompanying letter. Covers early 1960s to 1998. 1998-2000
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Correspondence. Two letters. To John Anderson from DePol (with attachment of engraving: January Meeting, Club of Odd Volumes),
and to Jim Fraser from DePol (Copies). 1987, 1993
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Exhibition Announcement. "An Exhibition of Etchings, Lithographs and Drawings by John H. DePol." New York Public Library.
July 1947
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Exhibition Announcement. "John DePol: An American National Treasure." Book Club of California (2 copies). 2001 |
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Exhibition Announcement. "John DePol Wood Engraver... Prints and Illustrated Books... Drawings, tools and blocks." Mills College,
Oakland, CA (2 copies). 1987
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Exhibition Catalog. "John DePol in Northern Ireland" (with invitation and article about exhibition). Joint Free Public Library
of Morristown and Morris Township. 2000
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Exhibition Catalog. "John DePol's New York." South Street Seaport Museum, New York. 1997 |
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Miscellaneous. Advertisement for publication: "John DePol: A Catalogue Raisonne of His Graphic Work 1935-1998." Book Club
of California. Circa 1998
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Miscellaneous. Business card for DePol/Wesley Group. Printouts of DePol Internet web sites, links, search results, etc. Cover
of 1989 Printing History issue with note by DePol in Bernard Brussel-Smith. Advertisements. Copies of engravings, sketches,
etc. 1947-1989, and not dated.
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Miscellaneous. Copy of Carl Van Doren article, "Signing of the Declaration of Independence," including engravings. Franklin
Keepsakes Series. With notes by DePol.
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Print. Abraham Lincoln for "Lincoln's Journey into Greatness" by Earl Searcher, 1959 (2 copies). |
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Print. [Air balloon.] One of four hundred illustrations for the Landmark series of keepsakes... It appeared on page 12 of
the 1983 issue.
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Print. Atlantic Convoy 1943. Photocopy attached to copy of 1993 letter to Jim Fraser. |
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Print. Chapin Library (in Stetson Hall) Williams College, Williamstown, Mass. |
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Print. Church of Saint Luke in the Fields. In folder with text by Don Wesley and article in The Villager, November 19, 1981.
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Print. Dante Alighieri... for the magazine Horizon. |
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Print. Edgar Allan Poe. |
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Print. Intersection. In folder with text by Don Wesley. Subject of "John DePol's How to Make a Wood-Engraving.". |
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Print. John Baskerville. |
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Print. John H. DePol Lithographs, Drawings... [Advertisement]. |
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Print. The Lycoming Charles Wesley... for Lycoming College. |
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Print. Merganthaler for Typophiles. |
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Print. O'Halloran's Swing and Hammock for the Insane... for Smith, Kline and French Laboratories. |
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Print. Old Printing Office. |
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Print. Oxford [Miss.] Illustration for The Yellow Barn Press, Willie Morris. |
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Print. Oxford, Miss. Illustration for The Yellow Barn Press, Willie Morris. |
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Print. Samuel Colt. |
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Print. Stone House. Stone House Press. Roslyn, New York. |
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Print. To make a dish of snow... Signed May 1948 / ed 20 1999 DePol. |
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Print. Tower of Old Main, Lycoming College. |
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Print. Typophiles March 22, 2000 Carl Schlesinger: Merganthaler Re-examined. |
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Print. [Untitled]... A Keepsake from the Stone House Press. |
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Print. Windswept, Sept 1992. |
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Prospectus. "By His Own Labor: The Biography of Dard Hunter" by Cathleen A. Baker. Northport, Ala.: Red Hydra Press (copy).
1999
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Prospectus. John DePol pattern blocks. Tuscaloosa: Legacy Press (copy). 1999 |
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Publication. California Flora. By Elizabeth McClintock, with wood engravings by DePol. San Francisco: The Book Club of California.
1995
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Publication. Pressmarks from the Gravers of John DePol for Ardentia Veritas Press. Includes copy of letter from Alan Waring
of the Press and proofs of three pressmarks. 1996
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