Howard Pyle was born in Wilmington, Delaware on March 5, 1853. He was an illustrator and author who is well-known for his illustrations of pirates and is credited with creating the modern stereotype of the pirate garb. In 1894 he began teaching illustration at the Drexel Institute of Art, Science and Industry, (now Drexel University), and around 1900 founded his own school, called the Howard Pyle School of Illustration Art. Some of his more famous students included N.C. Wyeth and Thorton Oakley.