John DePol

John Depol was an American printmaker, born in the West Village of New York City. He is regarded as one of the premier wood engravers of the 20th century but produced work in a variety of other mediums, including lithography and etching. Largely self-taught, Depol's only formal art training came from a short period of classes taken at the Art Student' League, where he learned lithography, and the College of Art in Belfast when he was stationed in Ireland during World War II. The drawings he produced while in service would lead to the portfolio "Another Ireland" in 1977 and a book "Ireland Remembered: A GI’s Recollections" in 1982.

John Depol became more invested in art after the war, becoming a production assistant at a small commercial printing firm in New York in 1950. By the middle of the decade he was taking independent commissions. One of the most notable jobs he took was illustrating the "Ben Franklin Keepsake", an annual publication commemorating New York Printing Week. The publication spanned three decades.