Farny, Henry F.

Henry Francis Farny was a well known Ohio artist. While he became famous for his paintings of the American West, he spent most of his life in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Farny was born in Ribeauville, France in 1847. Because of political turmoil in France, Farny's family fled to the United States, and arrived there in 1853. The family settled near Warren, Pennsylvania. A Seneca Indian reservation near the Farny home inspired some of his later works of art..

In 1859,, Farny and his family moved  to Cincinnati, Ohio.  Farny began a career as an illustrator of magazines, children's books, and newspapers. He briefly lived in New York City and worked as a cartoonist for Harper's Weekly. He also traveled extensively in Europe, before returning to Cincinnati, where he continued his work as an illustrator.

Beginning in the 1880s, Farny made several trips to the American West, where he observed Native American life. While he never spent more than a few months at a time in the West, he became well known for his portrayal of  Western scenes. Farny remained active in Cincinnati's art community and  was a founder of the Cincinnati Arts Students League. He died in 1916.