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!)