May 31, 2017

Harry G. Taylor (b.1918), Walt Whitman (Artist’s Proof), woodcut, 6 13/16 x 5 1/2 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art.

American writer Walt Whitman was born on this day in 1819. Whitman is most well-known for his collection of poetry entitled Leaves of Grass. Whitman was born in New York and worked as a writer and editor of several newspapers and magazines. In 1855, he published Leaves of Grass with mixed reviews from critics and readers. During the American Civil War, in his 50’s, Whitman served in the Union Army as a nurse. Following the war, he continued writing until his death in 1892.