Kent, Rockwell (1882-1971), was an American artist and author. He found material for his books and many of his drawings on his travels to remote parts of the world. He won fame in 1920 with Wilderness: A Journal of a Quiet Adventure in Alaska. He next traveled to the southern tip of South America. He made the last part of his trip in a lifeboat. He wrote about this journey in Voyaging: Southward from the Strait of Magellan (1924). These books and Salamina (1935) and N by E (1936) established him as both a writer and an artist. Kent also wrote the autobiography It’s Me, O Lord (1955).
Kent’s work showed consistently sure draftsmanship and a strong sense of design. His illustrated editions of books written by other authors include Moby-Dick, Beowulf, and The Canterbury Tales.
Kent was born on June 21, 1882, in Tarrytown Heights, New York. He studied painting with several noted artists, including William Merritt Chase and Robert Henri. He died on March 13, 1971.
