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Farny, Henry

Last Name:	Farny
First Name:	Henry
Dates:	1847 (Date of Birth) 1916 (Date of Death)
Biography/History:	Henry Farny was born in Rubeauville, Alsace, France in 1847. He came to the United States in 1853 when the Napoleonic party came to power in 1853. His family settled first in Western Pennsylvania, where young Farny got to know the Seneca Indians, beginning his lifelong fascination. In 1859, he moved with his family to Cincinnati, Ohio. By the time he was 18 years old, he was already an accomplished lithographer and engraver and he was published in Harper's Magazine. In 1867, he moved to New York City and worked as an illustrator for Harper's. He soon became a successful illustrator and his work as an illustrator led him to the American West, since the west fascinated the readers of the magazine articles and books he illustrated. The journeys out west awakened his childhood fascination with the Indians, and in 1881 he began to paint the vignettes of Indian life which gave him lasting fame. They were an immediate success and sold out almost as soon as he finished them. By 1890, he had largely abandoned his illustration jobs for full-time painting. He continued to visit the Native American tribes until his death in Cincinnati in 1916. Because of his patient observation of the Indian way of life, much has been preserved which might otherwise have been lost.
Related Objects:	3806.1 (Painting, Untitled, 1903)