The song of Hiawatha, 19th C

Oh my little friend, the squirrel.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", “The Song of Hiawatha”, and “Evangeline”. He was also the first American to translate Dante Alighieri's “The Divine Comedy”.

Longfellow was born in Portland, Maine, which was then a part of Massachusetts. He studied at Bowdoin College. After spending time in Europe he became a professor at Bowdoin and, later, at Harvard College. His first major poetry collections were “Voices ofthe Night” (1839) and “Ballads and Other Poems” (1841). Longfellow retired from teaching in 1854, to focus on his writing, living the remainder of his life in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in a former headquarters of George Washington. 

His first wife Mary Potter died in 1835, after a miscarriage. His second wife Frances Appleton died in 1861, after sustaining burns when her dress caught fire. After her death, Longfellow had difficulty writing poetry for a time and focused on his translation. He died in 1882.

Longfellow wrote many lyric poems known for their musicality and often presenting stories of mythology and legend. He became the most popular American poet of his day and also had success overseas. He has been criticized, however, for imitating European styles and writing specifically for the masses.

Above&Below illustrations drawn by Harrison Fisher, from The song of Hiawatha, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Indianapolis, 1906. Found the book in a reasonable quality scan at -as usual this year 2015- archive.org (link provided here). :: Really hard to make a selection of only 4 and finally I selected colour examples but B&W drawings are simply amazing, pure motion catched...

And he loved the lonely maiden

With both hands his face he covered

Painted many shapes and figures