Illustrator kurt weise biography
Kurt Wiese – American illustrator and author, Kurt Wiese, one of the most prolific illustrators known in the field of American children's literature.
Wiese, Kurt – Authors Emeritus..
Kurt Wiese
20th-Century German-American illustrator
Kurt Wiese (April 22, 1887 – May 27, 1974) was a German-born book illustrator, who wrote and illustrated 20 children's books and illustrated another 300 for other authors.[1][2][3][4]
Background
Kurt Wiese was born on April 22, 1887, in Minden, Germany.[3] He aspired to be an artist but was discouraged by his community.[3] He had at least one sibling, Ella Wiese, later Ella Barnberg.[1][4]
Career
Wiese was sent to Hamburg to "learn about the export trade to China."[4] From 1909 to 1915, Wiese lived, worked, and traveled in China.[2] selling merchandise as a young man.[5] At the outbreak of World War I, he was captured by the Japanese, and turned over to the British.
He spent five years as a prisoner, most of them in Australia, where his fascination with the animal life inspired him to start sketching again.
