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Caricature Silhouette by F. O. C. Darley of Edgar Allan Poe as a literary Mohawk.
This caricature silhouette of Edgar Allan Poe, by Felix Octavius Carr Darley (June 23, 1822 - March 27, 1888), was published in Holden’s Dollar Magazine, January 3, 1849. It accompanied the following verses:
With tomahawk upraised for deadly blow,
Behold our literary Mohawk, Poe!
Sworn tyrant he o‘er all who sin in verse —
His own the standard, damns he all that’s worse;
And surely not for this shall he be blamed —
For worse than his deserves that it be damned!
Darley also designed and executed the two woodcut illustrations for the first printing of Poe’s “The Gold-Bug” in the Philadelphia Dollar Newspaper for June 21, 1843. Darley had been Poe’s choice for providing artwork for his proposed magazine The Stylus. On January 31, 1843, a contract to this effect was written by Poe and signed by Darley, Poe and Thomas C. Clarke. For each design, Darley was to receive $7. When Poe’s plans failed to materialize, the contract was effectively voided. (The contract is quoted in The Poe Log, pp. 395-396). Darley managed to overcome this minor setback, enjoying a very successful career.
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[S:1 - JAS] - Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore - General Topics - Poe's Appearance - Caricature Silhouette by F. O. C. Darley