One of the greatest illustrators of children’s books during the Victoria era, Kate Greenaway is best known for her illustrations of the children’s classic Mother Goose, or Old Nursery Rhymes, published in 1881. She began her art career at the age of twelve, enrolling as a student at Finsbury School of Art, and her first book illustration was published in 1867. She went on to create images for a series of books: F. Locker-Lampson’s London Lyrics and A Day in a Child’s Life, William Mavor’s The English Spelling Book, and Robert Browning’s Pied Piper of Hamelin, done in a Pre-Raphaelite style.
Here is a letter she wrote to a friend in 1901 about gardens, her health, and comparisons of the joys of London and the countryside. Her love of flowers is especially evident; if you look closely at the upper right hand corner of the letter, you can see where she added a note emphatically thanking her friend for the “tulips and roses” she sent before Greenaway got around to mailing the message.
In 1884, she produced her most expensive book ever published: Marigold Garden, with pages of beautifully detailed illustrations and whimsical poems by Greenaway. We got to look through a first edition copy from our rare book collections - check out these gems:
A detail of her illustration for poem “The Cats Have Come to Tea.”
Details from her illustrations of poems “Four Princesses” and “The Sun Door.” Fun fact: Greenaway credited 18th-century paintings as inspiration for her drawings, particularly the works of THOMAS GAINSBOROUGH. So those are definitely a bunch of Pinkies stuck on flower tower and taking cloud naps. You heard it here first.
Though she found great success in illustrating children’s books, Greenaway spent much of her life pursuing a career in fine arts. Several of her drawings and watercolors can be found in our art collections, including this print entitled “May Day.”
A posthumous exhibition showcasing her work was held at the Fine Art Society in 1902, and in 1955 the Kate Greenaway medal was established as an annual award for outstanding illustrator of children’s books.
Portrait of Kate Greenaway (1846-1901), 1921, photograph negative, 3 x 5 in. The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Kate Greenaway (1846-1901), letter to “Dear Lady Maria,” May 8, 1901.The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Kate Greenaway, (1846-1901), first edition of Marigold Garden, published by G. Routledge and Sons: London; New York, 1885.
Kate Greenaway, (1846-1901), illustration detail of poems “The Cats Have Come To Tea,” “Four Princesses,” and “The Sun Door,” Marigold Garden, published by G. Routledge and Sons: London; New York, 1885.
Kate Greenaway (1846-1901), May Day, ca. 1890, pen and watercolor, 7 x 11 5/8 in. The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
