This Month's Featured Item from the Archive
Select Covers of Caldecott Medal Winning Books and Runners-Up from the May Massee Collection and the Ruth Gagliardo Collection
The warfare and economic hard times of the first four decades of the twentieth century caused legions of artists and artisans to be displaced from their native homes in Europe, Asia and the rural United States. Formally trained and accomplished artists - lithographers, engravers, painters, sculptors, book makers and more - sought new ways to apply their vast skills in the pursuit of making financial ends meet.
The booming business of children's book publishing was one of the industries that benefitted from the availability of this international array of artists and artisans. During the 1920s, the artists experimented with new ways in which their skills could be applied to mass book printing. These skills became finely honed in the decades that followed.
By 1937, the American Library Association had established an award, ultimately named for nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott, that, "shall be awarded to the artist of the most distinguished American Picture Book for Children published in the United States during the preceding year. The award shall go to the artist, who must be a citizen or resident of the United States, whether or not he be the author of the text." The Caldecott Medal continues to be awarded annually.
Artists who had worked for legendary children's book editor May Massee at Doubleday and Viking Press won a significant portion of the prestigious Caldecott Medals during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. ESU Archives houses many of the original artwork from these books.
In November, we opened an exhibit that offered a sample of the original art by Caldecott Medal and Caldecott Runners-Up winners. Artists like Robert McCloskey, Robert Lawson, Don Freeman, Kate Seredy, Ludwig Bemelmans, and many more are represented in the exhibit, which is available for visitors to muse by appointment.
The May Massee Collection contains more than 3000 original works of art by nearly 60 artists; the collection may be accessed for research Monday-Friday from 8-5 or by appointment. Please contact the Archives at 620-341-6431 or archives@emporia.edu to schedule your visit.
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Last Updated December 8, 2009