Great finds from the Library of Congress Children's Book Illustration Collection display imagination and innovation – and many stand the test of time.
When I get the time, there's nothing I love more than to dive into the digital archives in libraries and private collections. Down, down the rabbit hole – I start researching one topic – make a serendipitous find – and I’m off on other branches for hours. Those adventures inspired my earlier posts, Bound to Be Beautiful and Celestial Renderings: Prints of Beauty, and fueled this one too.
The early-19th century through the early 20th century was a golden age of children’s book illustration. The Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century led to innovations in printing and engraving. Books could be produced faster for a burgeoning middle class creating a new demand for authors and illustrators of books written specifically for children.
From the Library of Congress Children's Book Illustration Collection, below are my 10 curated finds of various topics and illustrative styles that could still delight today. Some of these titles are still in print today – reissued periodically, and others can be found for sale as rare books.
Curl up and enjoy.
1 > The Twelve Magic Changelings by M. A. Glen | c. 1907
Changelings is a special book of cutouts for children. Characters including Humpty Dumpty, Mary and Her Little Lamb, and Tom the Piper’s Son are designed to be cut out and pasted together. Colorful illustrations with accompanying typography, along with a way-ahead-of-its time interactivity, make this a timeless book.
2 > Gobolinks, or Shadow-Pictures for Young and Old by Ruth McEnery Stuart and Albert Bigelow Paine | c.1896
It’s not a Rorschach test – Gobolinks are inkblots made for amusement – to stir the imagination and curiosity, as the title says, for young and old. Instructions on how to make a Gobolink followed by the rules of the game are explained. The most imaginative Gobolink, along with its accompanying rhyming verse, that gets the most votes is the winner. A creative and stimulating concept that still delights readers and makers.
3 > London Town by Thomas Crane and Ellen Houghton (design and illustrations) and Felix Leigh (verses) | 1883
Beautifully illustrated from the landmarks of London to the scenes of daily life, this is a love letter to London Town for children “great and small.” While some subjects in the illustrations are period, there’s a freshness to the point of view – the compositions feel modern and the layouts are in perfect sync with the illustrations. The book represents a wonderful slice of London’s history.
4 > Red Riding Hood by Lydia L. A Very | 1863
A twist on the young-girl-meets-hungry-wolf-on-her-way-to-visit-granny genre: This book is die cut to the shape of Red Riding Hood with the wolf lying at her feet. In the mid-19th century, this was serious craft in play. The design and production of the book must have been way ahead of its time. A nice touch shows each text page with a different illustration around it.
5-6 > The Slant Book and The Rocket Book by Peter Newell | 1910 and 1912
Author/illustrator Peter Newell was an American artist who created humorous poems and illustrations for many publications including Harper’s Weekly and The Saturday Evening Post. He delighted generations of children and adults through books with funny, off-beat illustrations and somewhat subversive rhyming tales. His trademark was conceptualizing the physical books as art – cleverly melding form, story and imagery. I'm a big fan of his books, many of which are still in print today.
The Slant Book remains a classic – as popular and enjoyable a read as ever. Humorous, with clever illustrations slanted to echo the story of a go-cart, a newsboy and a baby carriage rolling down a hill. It can be a bit dark for kids, but so amusing.
The Rocket Book remains a popular Newell title as well. This story delights readers of all ages. A rocket gets launched from the basement of an apartment building. As it passes through all twenty floors, it interrupts the daily life of the tenants. It feels retro modern in tone.
7 > The Story of The Three Little Pigs by L. Leslie Brooke (illustrator) | 1904
Printed versions of this fairy tale date back to the mid-1800s. The story and outcome have been changed, cheeried or eviled for centuries. Brooke’s version, depending on how you look at it, straddles an up- and downbeat ending. I loved the end-pages silhouettes of the three pigs spread across. The line drawings interspersed with the colorful, full-page illustrations support a well-told tale.
8 > Baseball A B C by McLoughlin Bros., Inc. | c. 1885
A colorful way to help children learn their ABCs, this Victorian Era edition uses each letter of the alphabet to teach different aspects of the game of baseball. Big, bright illustrations along with period typography made this alphabet book a fun learning tool. The book was reissued about 10 years ago, though in a different form.
9 > Our Old Nursery Rhymes by H. Willebeek le Mair (illustrator) and Alfred Moffat (arranger) | c. 1911
A lovely combination of illustrations and music, this songbook from Dutch illustrator H. (Henriette) Willebeek le Mair and Scottish musician and composer Alfred Moffat captures the spirit and innocence of childhood.
Willebeek le Mair created delicate drawings accented by flat watercolor washes. She often framed these with decorative oval cartouches to set off her detailed illustrations. When Moffat worked with Willebeek le Mair, he arranged existing folk songs and wrote original music to go with nursery rhymes. The result is a spare, fresh example of children’s books from the era. The original 1911 edition is still available for purchase.
10 > The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and W. W. Denslow (illustrator) | c. 1899
Last but never least, this first edition of one of the best-known fairy tales in American literature remains a beautiful volume. A great partnering of Baum’s story and Denslow’s illustrations captures both the fantastical and menacing aspects of Dorothy’s journey to the land of Oz. (Oh, the illustration of the flying monkeys!) The book made its debut to the public at a Chicago book fair and was instantly loved.
The many saturated colors that Denslow chose were unique for the time. The book also employed color coding for chapters, and featured an original font and playful typography. It was a very progressive publishing project.
Accessible to children and entertaining for adults, this book remains one of the most popular and bestselling books in the world. If you’d like a first edition, it can be yours for a steal here.
Have any suggestions for vintage illustrated children's books that you find delightful?
Photos: The Library of Congress illustrated children's books (mid-to-late 19th c. thru early 20th c.) from the digital collection are in the public domain. Top image: Detail from Peter Newell's The Rocket Book title page.
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