Child and the Picture Book

The Child and the Picture Book features original illustration art by such celebrated artists as Jessie Willcox Smith, Norman Rockwell, J. C. Leyendecker, Ludwig Bemelmans, Maxfield Parrish, and Arthur Rackham, among others.  Each of the artists presented in The Child and the Picture Book has addressed subject matter related to children’s literature.  By illustrating classic stories for children, or by commemorating experiences familiar to young readers, these artists produced beautiful and compelling images, which shaped our understanding of childhood.

While their aesthetic appeal has endured for generations, the artworks in this exhibition also evidence historical trends specific to the times in which they were created.  During the latter part of the nineteenth century, new technologies in the reproduction of images revolutionized the field of illustration.  With these developments, an increasing number of illustrations began to accompany children’s books, and a new visual form was given to folk and fairy tales.  

At the same time, as studies in psychology were popularized, Americans reached a new awareness of the concept of childhood, and began to see it as a unique period distinct from adulthood.  By the turn of the century, the rise of literacy and expansion of the middle class contributed to a booming market for children’s picture books.  The ritual of bedtime reading prevailed, and special reading rooms for children were incorporated into public libraries.  The tradition of the child’s picture book has since endured, allowing artists’ portrayals of stories and rhymes to stimulate the imaginations of countless readers.