William James Aylward (1875-1956) William Aylward was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin but travelled to Delaware in 1903 to study illustration with Howard Pyle. Aylward had always had an interest in the sea and other nautical subjects and he went on to both write and illustrate articles describing the early days of sailing. He illustrated Jack London’s Sea Wolf, Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and many other books on naval or marine subjects. Like fellow Pyle student Harvey Dunn, Aylward was one of the eight artists chosen for the American Expeditionary Force during World War I.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea 1925 Oil on academy board, 20 inches x 14 inches 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1925, p. 289. Caption: Nemo remained motionless as if in mute ecstasy.