The illustrator Thornton Oakley (1881- 1953) was a student of Howard Pyle, founder of the Brandywine school of painting (other well-known practitioners: N.C Wyeth and Maxfield Parrish). Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Oakley graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in architecture. He then studied at Pyle's school in Wilmington, Delaware. During part of his time with Pyle, Oakley was in charge of the school's supply store. He was responsible for sales, inventory, and collecting students' monthly accounts.
He married Amy Ewing in 1910 and they had one child. Together they published numerous travel books, which she wrote and he illustrated. In 1914, Oakley was hired to head the Department of Illustration at the Philadelphia Museum's School of Industrial Art, now the Philadelphia College of Art. He taught at the school until 1936.
Oakley illustrated numerous books and magazines, including Harper's, Century Magazine, Collier's Weekly, and Everybody's Magazine. Known for paintings of industrial America, his work is found in the collections of numerous institutions including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, National Gallery of Art, Library of Congress, Boston Public Library, New York Public Library, and the British Museum.
Among Oakley's well-known works are six 12-foot murals which he painted for the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. During World War II, the National Geographic Society commissioned 48 paintings of war plants and related topics.
