BEAUTY IN BLACK & WHITE

Adorn your office or abode with amazing illustrations by American artist Herbert Morton Stoops (1887-1948). These intricate works of art are pen-and-ink on paper illustrations of the Old West, each matted and framed in contemporary frames, a chic juxtaposition to the old school subjects and rudimentary medium. Unique, impressive, and aesthetically pleasing, these one-of-a-kind works of art are a set of collector’s items that will add some Old West charm to any room.

Herbert Morton Stoops (28 may 1887 - 19 may 1948) was an American painter and illustrator. He signed his work simply as 'HM' and sometimes 'HM Stoops.

He was born on a ranch in 1887 in Logan City Utah, seemingly the perfect setting for this future illustrator of the history of the American West. Stoops grew up around men, both cowboys and Indians, who had lived in a bygone West of raw nature, massive buffalo herds and Indian wars, that, by the time of Stoops' boyhood, had slipped away and become the past.

He took art classes at Utah State College, and drew his first illustrations for a local newspaper. From 1910, he was staff artist at the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Francisco Examiner. During his San Francisco days, he was the last to illustrate the comic feature starring the dog 'Alonzo' for the San Francisco Call during its last months in 1912. By 1914, Stoops moved to Chicago to study at the Art Institute, and to work at The Chicago Tribune. He served in France as a first lieutenant during World War I, and sent drawings from his sketchbook back to the home front. After the war, he moved to New York City and became a productive story illustrator for magazines like Colliers, Liberty, Cosmopolitan, McCall's, Blue Book and Ladies Home Journal. He also painted covers for The American Legion Magazine and Blue Book. After a period of failing health, Stoops passed away in his art studio in 1948.