The Life of Sarah Stilwell Weber of Concordville, PA

The car accident attorneys in Concordville, PA, at Justice Guardians would like to share this historical glimpse into the life of Concordville’s very first female illustrator, Sarah Stilwell Weber.

Sarah Stilwell Weber - An American Illustrator

Sarah Stilwell Weber was born in 1878 in Concordville, Pennsylvania, to William and Isabel Ford Stilwell. Concordville is the home to the Concordville Town Centre.

Education

Weber would attend the private university, Drexel University, in 1897. Under the instruction of illustrator Howard Pyle, Weber would win a scholarship for a year-long art program that offered residency upon the campus. She would become Pyle's favorite student. In 1900, Weber would move to Pyle's studio to live along with other students, including the following:

• Stanley Arthurs
• Ethel Franklin Betts - illustrator for children's books
• Frank Schoonover - illustrator for magazines and painter to over 5,000 paintings
• Dorothy Warren - an author, photographer, and officer in the United States Army

Career

Weber was a member of the arts organization, The Plastic Club, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and founded in 1897.
The women-only club is one of the oldest art clubs and was founded by the following women:

• Elizabeth Shippen Green - an American Illustrator for children's books
• Violet Oakley - an American Artist, the first woman to have a public mural contract
• Jessie Willcox Smith - an American Artist known as one of the greatest pure illustrators

Weber began illustrating covers for The Saturday Evening Post in 1904 when they officially started hiring women. By 1925, she had illustrated sixty covers. She worked alongside other talents such as:

• J. C. Leyendecker
• Neysa McMein
• Anita Parkhurst
• C. Coles Phillips
• Cushman Parker

Weber expanded her work to offer covers for Vogue and The Country Gentleman and later included Harper's Bazaar, St. Nicholas Magazines, and Collier's, for which she also illustrated articles.

Some of her advertisement work included the following companies:

• Rit Dyes
• Scranton Lace Company
• Wamsutta Mills
• H-O Oats

In 1910 she tied with Elizabeth Shippen Green for second-highest-paid woman illustrator, Jessie Willcox Smith.

Published Works

Sarah Stilwell Weber would marry Herbert S. Weber despite the suggestion by Pyle to stay unwed. She passed away in April 1939 at her home in Concordville, PA. After her death, the Brandywine River Museum would showcase her work, along with the following artists that made up the collection of Women Illustrators in the Howard Pyle Tradition:

• Violet Oakley
• Elizabeth Shippen Green
• Jessie Willcox Smith
• Alice Barber Stephens
• Elenore Plaisted Abbot
• Anna Whelen Betts
• Ethel Franklin Betts
• Elizabeth F. Bonsall
• Charlotte Harding
• Olive Rush
• Katherine Pyle

Some of the most notable illustrations are included in the following:

• Dorothy Deane: A Children's Story - Ellen Olney Kirk (1898)
• Rhymes and Jingles - Mary Mapes Dodge (1904)
• Mother's Hero - Ethel C. Dow (1910)
• The Musical Tree - Herbert Weber (1925)

See further reading on the History of Aston Mills, PA.

Our Local Office

If you have been injured in a car accident, our Concordville, PA, car accident attorneys at Justice Guardians can help. We have the experience to get you the compensation you deserve. Call our office today for a free consultation.

Justice Guardians
1067 Mansion Lane
Garnet Valley, PA 19060
(610) 548-3218