Charles Livingston Bull Biography

Charles Livingston Bull (1874-1932) was an American illustrator known for his illustrations of wildlife.  Bull studied taxidermy in Rochester, New York and his first job at the age of 16 was preparing animals for mounting at the Ward’s Museum in Rochester, New York. During World War I, he designed recruiting posters, including the famous Join the Army Air Service poster. Bull lived near the Bronx Zoo in New York to allow close access to be able to sketch living animals and made many trips to Central and South America studying wildlife in their natural surroundings. He made many drawings to help garner public interest in eagles. Bull was a resident of Oradell, New Jersey and donated several of his works to the Oradell Public Library.

Bull eventually became a nationally recognized expert on animal anatomy. He started his illustration career in New York in 1901. He illustrated over 130 books, did murals for public buildings and covers for hundreds of magazines.

In addition to painting and illustrations, Bull did a series of work for Barnum & Bailey Circus and World War 1 posters.