John Henry Dick (May 12, 1919 – September 22, 1995) was an American naturalist and wildlife artist who specialized in birds.

Early life

Dick was born in at his parents' townhouse in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

on May 12, 1919. His parents were William Karl Dick and

Madeleine Talmage Force Madeleine Talmage Astor (''née'' Force; later Dick and Fiermonte; June 19, 1893 – March 27, 1940) was an American socialite and a survivor of the . She was the second wife and widow of businessman John Jacob Astor IV. Early life Madeleine ...

. Madeleine survived the sinking where her first husband

John Jacob Astor IV John Jacob Astor IV (July 13, 1864 – April 15, 1912) was an American business magnate, real estate developer, investor, writer, lieutenant colonel in the Spanish–American War, and a prominent member of the Astor family. He died in the sink ...

died, and had a posthumously born son named

John Jacob Astor VI John Jacob Astor VI (August 14, 1912 – June 26, 1992) was an American socialite, shipping businessman, and member of the Astor family. He was dubbed the "''Titanic'' Baby" for his affiliation with the RMS ''Titanic''; Astor was born four month ...

with him. Dick also had an elder full brother named William Force Dick. He grew up in Manhattan and frequently visited the American Museum of Natural History. His great-grandfather, William Dick, was an early investor in the National Sugar Refining Co., of which his father was a director. Dick studied at the

Yale School of Art The Yale School of Art is the art school of Yale University. Founded in 1869 as the first professional fine arts school in the United States, it grants Masters of Fine Arts degrees to students completing a two-year course in graphic design, painti ...

and joined the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, visiting the South Pacific Islands. When the war came to an end he was on Iwo Jima.

Career

John Henry Dick illustrated numerous books on birds including ''South Carolina Bird Life'' (1949), ''Florida Birdlife'' (1954), ''The Warblers of America'' (1957), ''A Gathering of Shore Birds'' (1960), ''Carolina Lowcountry Impressions'' (1964), ''A pictorial guide to the birds of the Indian subcontinent'' (1983) and ''The Birds of China'' (1984). He also published an illustrated autobiographical book in 1979 titled ''Other Edens: The Sketchbook of an Artist Naturalist'' which won a national conservation award from the Garden Club of America in 1984. He inherited Dixie Plantation in Charleston County near Meggett from his mother, and lived there from 1947 until his death. The estate beside the Stono River had a variety of habitats on 900 acres where he encouraged birds. Apart from bird art, he also took an interest in photography and lectured at the Charleston Natural History Society and travelled around the world to observe birds.

Personal life

Dick turned blind towards the end of his life and died on September 22, 1995. He bequeathed his estate to the

College of Charleston The College of Charleston (CofC or Charleston) is a public university in Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university in South Carolina, the 13th oldest institution of higher learning in the Unit ...

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dick, John Henry 1919 births 1995 deaths American bird artists American naturalists 20th-century naturalists