Born in New York City, John DePol (1913-2004) grew up in the West Village and attended evening classes in etching and lithography at the Art Students League. After his discharge from military service in World War II, DePol taught himself wood engraving and went on to collaborate with many private presses and his own Endgrain Press, producing a great number of illustrated limited edition books, together with many commemorative prints and portfolios. His work is held the permanent collections of museums, libraries, and universities, here and abroad, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Cincinnati Museum, New York Public Library, Library of Congress.

“Certainly there exists no question as to his continuing success as an artist, The fruits of his remarkable skill have won for him broad acclaim and recognition. Yet above all this, DePol is ...devoted to the teaching of others so that the art which he has embraced may continue and grow... In all ways, John DePol is a definition of what the Japanese proclaim as a ‘Living National Treasure.’”

—Donald W. Knoepfler, introduction to the John DePol Wood Engraving Exhibition & Workshop, University of Nebraska at Omaha, 1985.