The Wolf and Doctor Wilkinson (Once it Chased Doctor Wilkinson into the Very Town Itself)

Howard Pyle produced over 3,300 illustrations during his career and wrote and illustrated 19 books, including 13 for children and young people. His success as an illustrator and writer resulted from his ability to create a realistic sense of drama and action. In Pyle’s "The Salem Wolf," the wolf is actually the bewitched daughter of Deacon Graves who chases the terrified Doctor Wilkinson.

The focus of the painting is the figure of Doctor Wilkinson, whose heavy, dark, flapping coat contrasts sharply against the snowy backdrop as he flees. The horror of the scene is directed towards the viewer and accentuated by the artist’s attention to the animal’s crazed eyes and the panicked face of Doctor Wilkinson. Within this dramatic viewpoint, the figures’ exaggerated sizes and postures heighten the action leaping toward the viewer. The eerie glow of the rising moon casts an essential layer of fantasy over the scene.