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Recollections in Black and White
One of America's favorite folk artists, Eric Sloane started out as an itinerant sign painter—a profession that took him from New England to New Mexico and many places in between. Along the way, he did ink-on-white-paper sketches of passing scenes and landscapes. Many of them appear in this delightful collection of drawings, along with the artist's nostalgic, autobiographical commentary on the roads traveled and the sights seen.
Here are delightful impressions of streams winding through snow-covered landscapes; old stone barns and farmhouses, covered bridges, farming tools and implements, spring houses, and trees—from sturdy sycamores to graceful aspens.
"The next thing to living one's life over is to make durable recollections of it," Sloane once remarked. Today, the pastoral landscapes, rustic homes, and traditional arts he encountered in his travels live on in these bittersweet glimpses of American life from a bygone era.
Here are delightful impressions of streams winding through snow-covered landscapes; old stone barns and farmhouses, covered bridges, farming tools and implements, spring houses, and trees—from sturdy sycamores to graceful aspens.
"The next thing to living one's life over is to make durable recollections of it," Sloane once remarked. Today, the pastoral landscapes, rustic homes, and traditional arts he encountered in his travels live on in these bittersweet glimpses of American life from a bygone era.
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1974
24 people want to read
About the author
Eric Sloane
104 books58 followersEric Sloane (born Everard Jean Hinrichs) was an American landscape painter and author of illustrated works of cultural history and folklore. He is considered a member of the Hudson River School of painting.
Eric Sloane was born in New York City. As a child, he was a neighbor of noted sign painter and type designer Frederick W. Goudy. Sloane studied art and lettering with Goudy. While he attended the Art Students League of New York City, he changed his name because George Luks and John French Sloan suggested that young students should paint under an assumed name so that early inferior works would not be attached to them. He took the name Eric from the middle letters of America and Sloane from his mentor's name.
In the summer of 1925, Sloane ran away from home, working his way across the country as a sign painter, creating advertisements for everything from Red Man Tobacco to Bull Durham. Unique hand calligraphy and lettering became a characteristic of his illustrated books.
Sloane eventually returned to New York and settled in Connecticut, where he began painting rustic landscapes in the tradition of the Hudson River School. In the 1950s, he began spending part of the year in Taos, New Mexico, where he painted western landscapes and particularly luminous depictions of the desert sky. In his career as a painter, he produced over 15,000 works. His fascination with the sky and weather led to commissions to paint works for the U.S. Air Force and the production of a number of illustrated works on meteorology and weather forecasting. Sloane is even credited with creating the first televised weather reporting network, by arranging for local farmers to call in reports to a New England broadcasting station.
Sloane also had a great interest in New England folk culture, Colonial daily life, and Americana. He wrote and illustrated scores of Colonial era books on tools, architecture, farming techniques, folklore, and rural wisdom. Every book included detailed illustrations, hand lettered titles, and his characteristic folksy wit and observations. He developed an impressive collection of historic tools which became the nucleus of the collection in the Sloane-Stanley Tool Museum in Kent, Connecticut.
Sloane died in New York in 1985, while walking down the street to a luncheon held in his honor.
Sloane's best known books are A Reverence for Wood, which examines the history and tools of woodworking, as well as the philosophy of the woodworker; The Cracker Barrel, which is a compendium of folk wit and wisdom; and Diary of an Early American Boy: Noah Blake-1805, based on a diary he discovered at a local library book sale. His most famous painted work is probably the skyscape mural, Earth Flight Environment, which is still on display in the Independence Avenue Lobby in the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum.
Eric Sloane was born in New York City. As a child, he was a neighbor of noted sign painter and type designer Frederick W. Goudy. Sloane studied art and lettering with Goudy. While he attended the Art Students League of New York City, he changed his name because George Luks and John French Sloan suggested that young students should paint under an assumed name so that early inferior works would not be attached to them. He took the name Eric from the middle letters of America and Sloane from his mentor's name.
In the summer of 1925, Sloane ran away from home, working his way across the country as a sign painter, creating advertisements for everything from Red Man Tobacco to Bull Durham. Unique hand calligraphy and lettering became a characteristic of his illustrated books.
Sloane eventually returned to New York and settled in Connecticut, where he began painting rustic landscapes in the tradition of the Hudson River School. In the 1950s, he began spending part of the year in Taos, New Mexico, where he painted western landscapes and particularly luminous depictions of the desert sky. In his career as a painter, he produced over 15,000 works. His fascination with the sky and weather led to commissions to paint works for the U.S. Air Force and the production of a number of illustrated works on meteorology and weather forecasting. Sloane is even credited with creating the first televised weather reporting network, by arranging for local farmers to call in reports to a New England broadcasting station.
Sloane also had a great interest in New England folk culture, Colonial daily life, and Americana. He wrote and illustrated scores of Colonial era books on tools, architecture, farming techniques, folklore, and rural wisdom. Every book included detailed illustrations, hand lettered titles, and his characteristic folksy wit and observations. He developed an impressive collection of historic tools which became the nucleus of the collection in the Sloane-Stanley Tool Museum in Kent, Connecticut.
Sloane died in New York in 1985, while walking down the street to a luncheon held in his honor.
Sloane's best known books are A Reverence for Wood, which examines the history and tools of woodworking, as well as the philosophy of the woodworker; The Cracker Barrel, which is a compendium of folk wit and wisdom; and Diary of an Early American Boy: Noah Blake-1805, based on a diary he discovered at a local library book sale. His most famous painted work is probably the skyscape mural, Earth Flight Environment, which is still on display in the Independence Avenue Lobby in the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 16, 2012
A very quick read, but full of wonderful sketches by Sloane. Unfortunately, I've seen many of them before in his other books. Actually, I'm not sure if there is any new material in this book, but it was still great to look through. In one short space, he discusses his B&W art, from its origins to his present (1974) doodling while on the phone. It is his best, IMO. While I love his paintings of old barns, houses & covered bridges, his pen sketches of those same subjects are even better. His sketches of trees, old tools, & scenes have always been my favorite since they're usually accompanied by his concise explanations & dry wit. (His sky paintings are my least favorite.)
This was another AbeBook score for about $4 & is even in hardback, although it is an older library copy. Neither the years nor the few stamp marks have hurt it any. A few of the notes were even interesting.
This was another AbeBook score for about $4 & is even in hardback, although it is an older library copy. Neither the years nor the few stamp marks have hurt it any. A few of the notes were even interesting.
February 22, 2018
A fan of Eric Sloane many years back, this book was recommended this time as an artist's guide to using pen and ink. It is very much that but also as what I remembered his work for, a wonderful look at America. This time through I thought much more about his long journey as an artist known for his work in pen and ink rather than the color of oils. I was charmed once again by his narrative and delighted by his drawings, noting his unique style in both. I finished the book newly searching out the many artists mentioned therein but also with a wonderful sense of satisfaction. I understand that "Return to Taos" is the revisit of the journey covered in this book many years later. It's next on my "to read" list.
November 25, 2025
I have enjoyed all of Eric Sloane's books. This is a short one, remembering his cross-country trip 50 years prior, with a focus on pen and back ink drawings of the countryside along the way. For this non-artistically inclined reader, it did motivate me to pick up a pen, and do some sketching for myself.
June 17, 2020
Brief exploration/memoir. Some nice art, images of buildings
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews