Girl sewing while cat plays, 1924

  This little girl is working so hard at her hand sewing, seeming to concentrate on each stitch. Meanwhile, right at her feet, her kitty is having a blast making a jumbled mess of her thread!

  This illustration by Marguerite Davis is from a 1924 book of children's rhymes called "Sing-Song" by Christina G. Rossetti. The short poem that accompanied it reads:

A pocket handkerchief to hem-

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!

How many stitches it will take

Before it's done, I fear.

Yet set a stitch and then a stitch,

And stitch and stitch away,

Till stitch by stitch the hem is done-

And after work is play !

  Umm, looks like Kitty has already started on the play!
  

 This image was published in the United States more than 95 years ago, making it in the public domain. This means you can use it freely however you wish - alter it, share it, save it, enjoy it! Click on the image for a larger version.

Two children looking through sewer grate, circa 1889

  You can almost feel the sadness coming off these children, looking forlornly through a sewer grate, the little boy trying to reach down for a lost coin. 

  This image accompanied a short (very short!) story aptly called "A Great Loss"; it began: "Yes, little ones, you may as well give it up, it is quite out of reach - the cent is lost!"

  Dorothy Tennant drew this picture, included in the 1890 Baby's Annual, published circa 1889. 

  

  I also played around with improving the clarity a bit - this one was my favorite! These are both in the public domain. Use them freely and enjoy! Click on either image for a larger version.

A family of chickens with ducklings, 1895

 

   These chicks looked like they were having so much fun, that the resident ducklings wandered over to see if they could have a turn, too!

  I just love this sweet image from the German children's book "Lustiges Völkchen" by Cornelie Lechler, published in 1895. Illustrations were attributed to May Bowley and William Foster, though this one isn't signed, so the artist is unknown at this point.

The image above was enhanced using a filter; the image below is the original. Both are in the public domain, as stated by Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, which digitized and shared this and many other books. (We thank them heartily!)

Mamma Goose and her goslings, 1913

  Check out that bonnet - Mamma Goose has style! 

  Frances Beem is one of those underappreciated illustrators I love to "discover". She dedicated her life to children and art through writing and illustrating children's books, as well as through her many years as an art teacher in Chicago. 

  She's the artistic mind behind this whimsical image of a proud mama goose taking a stroll with her crew of goslings. (Check out her artist's mark in the lower right corner - I love it!) 

  This illustration was included in the 1913 children's book "The Wise Mamma Goose" by Charlotte B. Herr. 

  This image is in the public domain in the United States, having been published in Chicago over 95 years ago. 

Pretend play ship, circa 1889

   It doesn't take much browsing around this blog to realize that I love illustrations of children playing, especially pretend play. And this one is a treasure!

  It's the work these children have put into the pretend - this "ship" took some time to come together! And the fun they're clearly having together. And the awestruck look on the face of the littlest one in front - now *that* face is priceless!

   This picture was included in the "1890 Baby's Annual: Pictures and Stories for Little People", published in Boston by D. Lothrop & Company. Unfortunately, as with many of these kinds of anthologies, the authors and illustrators didn't get attribution. So I can't tell you who created this scene, but we can enjoy it together it's in anonymity.

  This picture is in the public domain, having been published in the United States over 95 years ago. You can use it freely, however you wish. Click on either image for a larger version.

Two Girls at a Fence, circa 1885

   Can you just imagine these two friends, chatting by the fence that separates their yards? Sharing secrets, making plans...trying to delay starting chores??

   Unfortunately, I don't know the artist, but this was an illustration from the title story of "Little Crumbs and Other Stories", published by D. Lothrop & Co. in Boston, circa 1885. 

Children playing with toy boats, circa 1897

  It's just a peaceful day, playing with toy boats in the water, until...yikes! It's getting away! 

  I hate when that happens!

  This illustration is titled "Little Mariners" from a McLoughlin Bros. book published about 1897 titled "To Pass the Time". 

  I would guess that, "to pass the time", one of these kiddos is going to have to wade into the water and catch that boat. And soon! 

  The picture is signed "L.L." in the lower right corner. That's the only indication of the illustrator I could find.

Girl reading outdoors, 1898

  As I virtually flipped through the digital edition of "Little Bright Eyes", published circa 1898, this was the first image I knew I would save. This girl looks so peaceful, sitting under a tree with a book, while her brother fishes in the background. It's presumably quiet and just right for catching up with your favorite fictional characters! (The above is cropped to focus on the girl reading. The original is below.) 

   The illustrator here, Edith M. Taylor, is a bit of a mystery, which always makes the researcher in me frustrated. Having a common name makes it extra difficult to track down things like her date of birth or death. We know she often partnered with her sister Mabel F. Taylor on illustrating projects, such as children's books and postcards for Raphael Tuck & Sons of London.

   I can trace her only to Croydon, Surrey, England, where the census of 1891 shows her listed as an artist and illustrator, and living with her widowed mother and 3 adult siblings, as well as 3 servants (one was 15 years old!). Her death date being a mystery to me, I can't say for sure her work is in the public domain in any country except the United States. If you have any info on her, I'd be grateful to learn more!

  

  If you read my research frustrations (I tend to go on once I get started!), you certainly deserve a bonus Edith Taylor illustration, this one from the same book. Which one is your favorite? 

Girl makes doll gown with grandmother, 1913

  Alice is going to be in a wedding, and she's determined that Little Girl Blue, her beloved doll, should get to be a part of the festivities, too. Who can make a lovely gown for Miss Girl Blue? Of course, it's Grandma to the rescue!

  There are some lovely illustrations in the book, "Little Girl Blue Plays 'I Spy!'", written by Josephine Scribner Gates and published in 1913. Frustratingly, no credit was given to the creator of those illustrations. (Not even in the copyright forms filed for the book. Yes, I checked!) 

"Grandma dearly loved to dress dolls, and she joyously fashioned the pretty gown."

    There are a few more pictures from this book I saved - I hope you'll like them as much as I do! 

  

  As an aside, what do you think about the large hair bows of this time period? I'm not sure I would have been a fan!

  Buying doll wedding gown supplies! And after all that work is finished, there are still dishes to be done. Good thing Alice has a little helper to assist...

  These images are all in the public domain (having been published in 1913, more than 95 years ago). They can be used freely. Click on an image to view a larger version, save to your computer, and enjoy! 

Girl holding flower garland, 1930

  Isn't this a sweet image? It's from a translated version of a French book by Anatole France (appropriate name!) called "In All France: Children in Town and Country". The illustrator is Lucille Enders, who apparently worked on several children's publications that I look forward to searching through!

  This girl, holding up a lovely flower garland for all to see, is in the public domain. It was copyrighted in the United States in 1930, over 95 years ago. 

An Unlucky Sail, circa 1885

   Sam wishes he had something to put into his new boat. Hmmm...his sister's doll is nearby. Yep, that will do!

"I will give Miss Dolly a sail," thought Sam.

   Sure, what could go wrong! Well, the story is called "An Unlucky Sail". And this illustration speaks a thousand words.

   This illustration by E.S. Tucker was included in "Oliver Optic's Annual Stories, Poems, and Pictures for Little Men and Women". It was published circa 1887. 

  And just in case you were wondering, Sam is a good brother at the end, making up for his ill-advised sailing choices!

Children looking at blank sign, 1927

  This seems like a fun image for paper crafting - perhaps collages or junk journals? A group of children has stopped to look at...well, whatever you want to add to this sign!

  Originally, they were looking at the copyright information in the early pages of the book "Story-Friends, Third Book", published in 1927. But the illustration of these kids (by Mabel Betsy Hill) was just too cute to pass by. 

  So I removed the words, and now I share it with you. I hope it sparks some creativity! I'd love to hear what you plan for it in the comments.

This image was published in the United States over 95 years ago, making it in the public domain. You can use it freely. Click on the image for a larger version.

Blowing bubbles, 1905

Soap and water and a pipe,
    And a little care-
That is all you want to blow
   Bubbles in the air.

   Thus reads the poem "Bubbles" from the 1905 children's book "Little Miss Muffet and Other Good Stories". These girls have clearly taken the poem to heart, contentedly blowing homemade bubbles together. 

  For the record, we tried this when we had a kiddo in the house, and I could never find the right mixture of water and soap to make good bubbles. For me, it was easier to just buy a solution of "bubble stuff"!

  This image is in the public domain (published in the United States in 1905) and is free to use, share, and alter however you like. Click on the image for a larger version and then save and enjoy! 

To A Robin, 1888

  I came across this book page today and knew I had to share it. The image above accompanies a poem titled "To A Robin", found at the back of the 1888 children's book "Louisa May Alcott: The Children's Friend". 

  We currently have a lively family of robins in our backyard. We have a family almost every year and yet the experience never gets old for me. From watching the parents gather the materials and build their nest (usually with many starts and stops) to feeling strangely protective as they sit on the eggs to the excitement when the babies are hatched, and the parents seem to spend every moment feeding small, squaking mouths, flying off for more food, and repeating. 

  So the poem (yes, there was a point to that story!) felt especially meaningful to me just now. 

Welcome, welcome little stranger,

  Fear no harm and fear no danger,

We are glad to see you here,

  For you sing sweet Spring is near.

Now the white snow melts away,

  Now the flowers blossom gay,

Come dear bird and build your nest,

  For we love our Robin best.

  The illustration is by Lizbeth (or Elizabeth) B. Comins. Possibly the poem, too, though it's not credited in this book anywhere I could find. 

   This book page is in the public domain and can be used and shared freely. It was published in the United States in 1888, well over 95 years ago. Click on an image for a larger version.

Wet Paint, 1900

   This dollhouse is going to be quite a prize...but first, the paint has to dry!  

  This is a sweet image. Maybe the boy is just a kind brother, or maybe he's hoping to win this gal's heart by his work painting her dollhouse. 

  This is the cover image of the bound edition of "The Prize for Girls and Boys" for 1900. There are no hints about who illustrated this, or many of the images inside the magazine, either. That's not unusual, but it's still irksome to me. And so far, this is the only edition I can find online of this magazine, though it was published in England for several years. 

  Just for fun, the original cover is below. These are both public domain and can be used freely. Click on either image for a larger version, then save!

Girl serving cookies to her dolls, 1930

  Cookies are served!

  That's what this girl seems to be saying to her dolls, propped up comfortably on the couch in the finery. (Perhaps it's a party?) Except for that poor boy doll who is left to sit on the floor. (I hope he at least gets a cookie!) 

  Lucille Enders is the illustrator of this fun scene, from the children's book "In All France: Children in Town and Country". 

  Having been published in Chicago in 1930, this image is in the public domain and can be used freely. Click on the image for a larger version. 

Woman sewing, 1870

   I just can't resist the sewing images I sometimes come across. It's the closest I get to working a sewing machine, if I were being honest!

  These images come from a French printing catalogue circa 1870. The title of the catalogue is "Fonderie de Renault et Robcis : fantaisies, caractères de labeurs, fleurons et vignettes". I know what about half those words mean, but I still had a blast browsing through the pages...

  Of course, the sewing-themed ones caught my eye. I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I do!

  These images are all well into the public domain and free to use. Click an image for a larger version and then save it to your computer. Enjoy! 

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Graphophone advertisements, 1900

   One of the fun things about browsing old catalogs is discovering a product you never even knew existed. For me, the Graphophone was one of these. The gramophone I've heard of; the Graphophone...not so much. So I had to look it up. If you're similarly curious, read on!

   The Graphophone was the name of an improved version of Edison's phonograph, invented by Alexander Graham Bell, Charles Sumner Tainter and Chichester Bell in 1886. The trademark was initially acquired by Volta Graphophone Company, and then passed through several companies before becoming part of the Columbia Phonograph Company—which eventually became today's Columbia Records.[1]

   These devices weren't envisioned for music entertainment at all. Inventors initially believed these "talking machines" would be ground-breaking for businesses, able to easily capture dictation that stenographers would later type up. [2]

   But by the time these ads were printed in a 1900 holiday catalog, the devices were being used in private homes, playing prerecorded music cylinders right in their living rooms.[3]

   It must have been amazing to hear recorded voices for the first time! Or to be able to listen to a favorite song on demand. It's something we take for granted, but how mind-blowing for a family in the late 19th century! 

Boy dressed as General Washington, 1920

  Here in the U.S., our thoughts are on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, coming up on July 4 of this year. We're evaluating our history and what it means to be an American. 

  The little boy in this illustration has none of those heavy thoughts. He's full of images of becoming a national hero like General Washington, riding on his toy horse, with an American flag in one hand. 

  Florence White Williams drew this picture for the February 1920 issue of Little Folks magazine. 

Three exuberant children, 1926

  There is so much going on in this illustration by Dorothy Furniss. Just as much chaos as three exuberant kiddos can bring to a single afternoon. Pretend play, forgotten toys, exploring cabinets...and is that lamp about to topple over??!!

   This image was found in "The Girls' Own Annual" of 1926 and accompanied the story "The Holiday Aunt" by Irene D. Soole, a tale about that aunt who knows all about children...and yet has none of her own. She's full of advice and somehow has no idea what she's doing when left to actually spend time with the children. Curious, indeed!

   If you're smirking right now, I'll assume you know the type...

Girl looking at spiderweb, 1908

  Sometimes pictures need no words - they're gorgeous and perfect just the way they are. Jessie Willcox Smith's paintings are that way. 

  So I leave you with this one. May you enjoy it as much as this girl seems to be enjoying her flowers. (I hate to admit that it was only when I enlarged the image that I noticed the spiderweb the girl is looking at with...is that surprise? fear? wonder? Let me know what you think!) 

This image, from "Dream Blocks" by Aileen Cleveland Higgins, was published in the United States circa 1908 and is now in the public domain. Click on the image for a larger version and then save and enjoy! 

Child wrapped in blanket, 1910

   We can only see half of this little one's face, but I feel like that face is full of wonder. 

  Fact check: I don't know for sure if this kiddo is a girl or a boy, but for the purpose of this post, I'm going with boy, just for simplicity's sake. Adjust in your own imagination as needed!

  He's wrapped up in a blanket, standing in front of a window, and staring up at a crescent moon. Did he creep out of bed, or is he just stalling to delay bedtime? That we will never know!

  This one came from the 1910 book "Little Rhymes for Little Readers," illustrated by Ruth Mary Hallock. The rhymes are sweet (not semi-morbid like in some book collections around this time and earlier!), and the pictures are lovely.

  This image is in the public domain and can be used freely. Click on the image for a larger version.

Girl with flowers, 1898

   A friendly warning...do NOT get me started on Etheldred B. Barry. Because I will then be forced to tell you what I've been learning about this woman - not only a talented illustrator of many children's books, but also an Episcopal nun who started the Order of St. Anne in 1910 and spent many years of her life caring for orphaned children as the head of the St. John House, run from her home. At the time of the 1910 census, she had 9 children, aged infant to 18 years, living with her. She even went to England in 1917, at the height of World War I, writing on her passport application that the object of her visit was the "care of orphaned children".

   Phew...okay, sorry about that. I'm just so impressed by this woman, and the more I learn, the more I love her! Even her photo (online via the Arlington Historical Society, but still under copyright) shows a woman with a cheerful face and kindly eyes.

  Anyway, Miss Barry is the illustrator of the adorable girl at the top of this post and the one just below. (A bonus if you made it this far!) Both images are from the 1898 book, "Laura's Holidays".

  Both these images are out of copyright and can be used and shared however you like. I hope you like them as much as I do! 

Child on a windy day, 1913

   You know the kind of day - the wind won't let up, leaves are blowing everywhere, and you have to grab your hat to keep it from blowing away!

   The child in this illustration gets it - they're holding their hat down with two hands, but they also seem delighted at the experience!

   An illustration by Florence Liley Young from the book "A Story Garden for Little Children", published in 1913.

This image is in the public domain and can be used freely. Click on the image for a larger version.

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Boy standing on fence, 1928

  I've realized I don't add enough book illustrations of boys to this site. My only excuse is that, being a girl at one time myself, the depictions of girls and dolls and tea parties touch me deeper than other scenes.

  But today we'll mix things up! Jack here has climbed up on the wooden fence to look over at the pumpkins growing on the other side. Will he jump over and pick one? Far be it from me to spoil the ending!

  This illustration by Clara E. Atwood is from "The Outdoor Book: A Nature Reader for the Second School Year" by Zoe Meyer, published in 1928. 

  For the record: early readers and primers from the 1910s-1930s have great illustrations...just saying! (Hey, I was surprised!)


This book is in the public domain and can be used and shared freely. Click on the image to view a larger version and then save.

Girl and grandfather on the shore, 1899

  This is a beautiful image of a little girl at the shore, stepping over large rocks while her grandfather holds her hand to keep her steady.

  My grandfather looked nothing like this man, but it reminds me of him all the same. He had been in the U.S. Navy and retained a love of all things nautical throughout his life. One of his children made him a ceramic fisherman that looked just like this fella, pipe and all!

  The only thing that irks me here is that we don't know the artist who created it. All we can say is that it was "Printed in Holland". Sigh. Not helpful.

  Aw, well. The image deserves to be shared on its own merits!

This image, published in the annual bound edition of Chatterbox magazine (1899), is in the public domain for any and all to share and enjoy. Click on the image for a larger version and then save to your computer.

Boy watching the clouds, 1905

  This boy is kicking off summer right - arms behind his head, lying in the grass, watching the clouds. No stress, no fuss. 

  Illustrator Josephine Bruce (from my home state of Massachusetts!) created this image for "Songs for Tom, Dick, Bob & Peggy", a book of songs published in 1905. This picture aptly accompanied a song called... wait for it... "Clouds". 

Playing with dolls, 1888

  I could play with my dollhouse for hours, and this little girl looks just as content with her doll family as I remember feeling!

  These illustrations are from a book called "A Merry Go-Round", illustrated by Constance Haslewood and published in 1888. 

  The resolution is not great, but perhaps that just adds to the vintage charm. And I always love seeing children in a completely different era playing in ways that are so similar to how I played, and how I've seen kiddos I love play. 

  Expect more from this book (coming soon!) but for now, enjoy these! Click on the image for a larger version and then save - they are both well into the public domain and out of copyright.