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.

Tawny Owl, 1895

  This fella has such an interesting face. He gazes at the viewer with a quizzical look. "What are you looking at? What are you doing here?? Whooo are you??!" (Sorry, couldn't resist that last one!) 

   This illustration is the work of George Edward Lodge, an artist known for his skill at accurately depicting birds. His initials are visible in the lower left corner. This image is from "Bird Notes" by Jane Mary Hayward, published in 1895.

   This one grabbed my attention, but I look forward to going through the other books Lodge contributed to and admiring his realistic artwork!

Girl and her father looking at nest, 1913

   I'm loving this illustration - by Florence Liley Young - of a little girl proudly hoisted up by her father for a closer look at a nest in a tree.

   I guess it's not surprising that pictures of fathers with their children are pretty rare. This book, "A Story Garden for Little Children", was published in 1913. It would be another generation or two until fathers were expected to - gasp! - join in with taking care of their kids.

   But when you do find one, it's special. And when you find a beautiful one like this...it's a treasure.

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

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A young artist, 1906

   This is a nice image by Katharine H. Greenland, but it's even better when matched with the poem that accompanied it in the 1906 book "Candle Light" by Georgia Roberts Durston. 

  The poem is called Two Artists: 

My Mother's color-box is twice

As large as mine and clean and nice,

With brushes just like kitten fur.

So soft, they scarcely make a blur,

And every time she paints with one,

A lovely picture will be done.

And yet, you'd be surprised to see

How proud my Mother is of me.

She says she loves the things I do,

She says I am an artist too,

And hangs her pictures up with mine,

All nice and even in a line.

   Aww, I think that's just so sweet. And being the recipient of some kid drawings that I treasure, I have no doubt that the mom in that poem truly does love what that little girl creates!

  As a bonus, one more Greenland illustration from the same book. This one went with a poem called Her Dolls. She's pointing out a doll, as the poem describes each one. But it looks to me like she might be scolding one. Hey, it's not easy being a young mother to so many little ones!

Whimsical Squirrels, 1910

   Two of these squirrels thought it would be wise to carry their acorn. But the third little guy just had to show off his balancing skills. There's one in every family, even squirrel families, it would seem.

  All these adorable squirrels are from the 1910 primer, "A Primer by Bryce & Spaulding". The same artist also created these cute children illustrations.

   Margaret Ely Webb is not credited by her full name anywhere in the book. But her initials are included in some of the illustrations, giving us enough of a hint to know she contributed her talent. 

   To be fair, I can only say with certainty that Margaret Webb created the one above, with a mother squirrel cutting an acorn for her 3 hungry little ones, all wearing bibs and ravenous expressions. (Notice the initials on the left, next to one of the baby squirrels.)

   The other illustrations seem to be a similar style to my untrained eye. In any case, just enjoy the whimsical cuteness of this woodland family! 

  These are all in the public domain and out of copyright; they can be shared and used however you wish. Click each image to view a larger version, then save it to your computer.

Boy with toy boat at pond, 1910

  

 I love this little fella, holding his toy boat, standing in front of a gorgeous pond with a beautiful tree's image reflected on the water. 

 Ruth Mary Hallock illustrated "Little Rhymes for Little Readers" (1910), the source of both images featured in this post. She is another of those authors who has a knack for depicting childhood scenes.

  This illustration shows a girl who is kneeling in the grass to get a better look at the spring flowers. 

  This particular image accompanied a super-short poem by Wilhelmina Seegmiller called "The Rail-Fence Corners":

In the rail-fence corners,

 In the sunny, happy May,

Flowers get together

To pass the time o' day

  (Now that poem is perfect for short attention spans!) 

Children with grandmother, 1913

   It's always special when Grandma comes to visit. She listens to the most mundane stories with rapt attention, she brings presents, and she gives the best hugs!

   The three children in this illustration by Florence Liley Young are most interested in the "present" part just now. In the story "Three Guesses", in "A Story Garden for Little Children" (1913), each child has...yep, three chances to guess what's inside the package. 

    Not to be a spoiler, but I bet they're going to end up with the surprise in any case!

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