Metropolitan Mother Goose children's book, 1920

 

   These illustrations by Emma Clark are from the children's book, "The Metropolitan Mother Goose", published in 1920.

  This is a whimsically illustrated book, printed by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, with retellings of traditional Mother Goose rhymes by Elizabeth C. Watson. These had a more optimistic tone than the originals. For example, Old Mother Hubbard looked in her cupboard and found "wholesome and good" food for her children, while Jack and Jill went up the hill, but they came down again safely with water for the whole town. (That must have been one heavy bucket!)

   In the top image, the Old Woman who Lived in a Shoe is a doting mother who gives her children plenty of food and a cozy place to sleep. I much prefer this version over the one where she "whips them all soundly" before bedtime! Although the last line here, "The needed no pills, they all slept so sound," does make one do a double-take.

  And two last pages that caught my eye: 

   I definitely need to do a little more searching for Emma Clark's work. I just love her fun illustrations!