Nearly everyone who has an interest in early American life and culture knows of Eric Sloane’s work. Although perhaps best known for his oil paintings of barns and covered bridges, Eric Sloane was also a successful author, illustrator, amateur anthropologist, meteorologist, and historian. A man of tremendous and varied talents, Sloane began his artistic career as a itinerant sign painter and became an accomplished artist elected to full membership to the National Academy of the Arts.

All images from Aware: A Retrospective of the Life and Work of Eric Sloane

Born Everard Jean Hinrichs in 1905, Eric Sloane led a full and intriguing life. He created everything from “cloudscapes” while flying with Wiley Post (Amelia Earhart bought his first one) to over three dozen books covering early American life an culture. A highly successful fine artist, illustrator, and author – all within his lifetime.

Understandably, there is so much more to Eric Sloane’s story. A great place to start (I am really very biased here – after all, I am the author) is Aware: A Retrospective of the Life and Work of Eric Sloane, now available for purchase through our secure online store. I also invite you to check out our research page, which is a repository for photographs, documents, and other materials related to understanding more about the life and work of Eric Sloane.