Once Upon a Time PDF
Preview Once Upon a Time
ONCE UPON A TIME AMY WEINSTEIN Illustrations from Fairytales, Fables, Primers, Pop-ups and other Children’s Books PRINCETON ARCHITECTURAL PRESS NEW YORK published by Princeton ArchitecturalPress 37 EastSeventh Street NewYork,NewYork10003 Fora free catalog ofbooks,call1.800.722.6657. Visitourweb site atwww.papress.com. ©2005 Princeton ArchitecturalPress Allrights reserved Printedandboundin China 08 07 06 05 5 4 3 2 1 first edition Allofthe books illustratedin this volume are heldin the collection andreproduced through the generosityofEllen Liman. Nopartofthis bookmaybe usedorreproducedin anymannerwithout written permission from the publisher,exceptin the contextofreviews. Everyreasonable attempthas been made toidentifyowners ofcopyright. Errors oromissions willbe correctedin subsequenteditions. editing:NancyEklundLater editorial assistance:DorothyBall design:Sara E.Stemen photography:Nicola Bednarek special thanks to:Nettie Aljian,JanetBehning,Megan Carey, Penny(Yuen Pik) Chu,RussellFernandez,Jan Haux,Clare Jacobson, John King,MarkLamster,Linda Lee,Katharine Myers,Lauren Nelson, Jane Sheinman,ScottTennent,JenniferThompson,Joseph Weston,and Deb WoodofPrinceton ArchitecturalPress —Kevin C.Lippert,publisher library of congress cataloging-in-publication data Weinstein,Amy,1957– Once upon a time :illustrations from fairytales,fables,primers,pop-ups,andotherchil- dren's books / AmyWeinstein.––1sted. p.cm. ISBN 1–56898–541–X(hardcover:alk.paper) ––ISBN 1–56898–564–9 (pbk.:alk.paper) 1. Illustratedchildren's books––UnitedStates.2. Illustration ofbooks––UnitedStates-- 19th century.3. Liman,ArthurL.––Artcollections.4. Liman,Ellen––Artcollections.5. Illustratedbooks––Private collections––UnitedStates. I.Title. NC975.W45 2005 741.6'42'0973––dc22 2005012524 CONTENTS Preface Once Upon atTime Ellen Liman Fairytales and Fables vii 69 Acknowledgments FactandFiction xi Novels,HistoryBooks,and Anthologies 107 ToAmuse andInstruct An Introduction to Illustrated Children’s Books ’Twas the NightBefore 1 Christmas Books 141 From Apple toZouave Learningthe ABCs Virtue andVice 15 CautionaryTales forthe Nursery 155 Through the Airon a VeryFine Gander Gems from MotherGoose SuggestedReadings 39 179 // v PREFACE the 1905 obituary of John McLoughlin, Jr., in Publisher’s Weekly declared,“Everychild in the land knows the McLoughlin books....In fact,the historyin the lastdecade of colored toybooks foryoungsters is the historyof Mr.McLoughlin and his firm.”McLoughlin Brothers held an importantrole in the children’s bookpublishing world.In fact,as my husband,the late Arthur Liman,and I discovered in our research,the firm was instrumentalin creating it.The publisher’s preeminence in the field was the result of its entrepreneurial spirit,creativity,competitive- ness,foresight,andperseverance Howwas it,then,thatArthur—an intense attorneywith characteris- tics similar to that of McLoughlin Brothers—ended up sitting behind a collectors’convention booth selling children’s books and games,all the while reading a brief? Orcharging atlightning speed,flashlightin hand, amidstrain andmudin the earlymorning hours,through a remote coun- tryantiques fair? Ormysteriouslyvanishing from a criticalcorporate con- ference tonegotiate,instead,with a slightlydisheveled dealerwaiting in his office,ortoaggressivelybidbyphone ata London auction? Andwhat were allthose mailordercatalogs,letters ofofferings,andbills ofsale for Aunt Mavor’s Present McLoughlin Brothers books doing commingledwith courtpapers? for a Good Little Girl Published byGeorge Routledge & Co., For twenty years, Arthur was this crazy closet collector. His London and NewYork big-deal clients could never have imagined where or how he spent his 1856 weekends.Atough lawyerwith a soft center,he was enjoying a second Publishers in EnglandandAmerica childhood.Butdemanding andfocused,he always wantedto“win”in the frequentlyemployedthe device ofa collecting arena,as much,ifnotmore,than in the courtroom. kindlyfemale storyteller,including Over the years, a little, innocent interest in collecting children’s AuntMavor,AuntLouisa,Mother Bunch,MotherBantry,andDame books andgames became an all-consuming challenge forArthurandme. Wonder.Here,AuntMavor’s “pre– Why did we choose to focus on McLoughlin Brothers and,to a lesser sent”is a collection ofshortstories degree,otherAmerican publishers of its era? There was a lotof pleasure andverse.“Little Polly’s DollHouse” here, but no prestige or profit—the impetus for many collectors. tells ofa girl’s joyupon selecting a McLoughlin Brothers books were scarce,making the hunt intense and furnisheddoll’s house,tallerthan she,a spectaculargiftatthe time. discovery all the more exciting. Made from paper during the late // vii viii // preface preface // ix nineteenth and early twentieth centuries,these ephemeral objects were often too fragile ordamaged to survive.Manywere also so inexpensive that theywere not considered worth saving or,from a dealer’s perspec- tive,selling.Butitwas fordifferentreasons,which reflectedourdisparate interests,that we became attracted to and enchanted by McLoughlin Brothers books. The appealofthe books forArthurlayin theirsubjectmatter,which he viewedas a reflection of the historyandculture of the times in which theywere published.Forexample,the education ofchildren was a national priority,sothere was an abundance of alphabet books.Teaching about morals became a paramountconcern:in Jackand the Beanstalk,goodtri- umphs overevil;in Cinderella,virtue is rewarded;in Little Red RidingHood, the companyyou keepproves tobe potentiallydangerous;andin Puss in Boots,faithfulfriends are recognizedas the besttype offriends. As an artist,I was personallydrawn to the magnificent aesthetic of McLoughlin’s books,to their extraordinary design and sophisticated, dazzling color,which was made possible by the perfection of the chro- opposite molithographic printing process in the late nineteenth century.In addi- plays and games for little folks: tion tothe beautiful,imaginative graphics and fine workmanshipof the sports of all sorts, books,I lovedtheircharm andhumor. fireside fun, and Like manycollectors,we did not collect with any grand plan.The singing games collection justgrewandgrewandgrew.We triedtomake itcomprehen- Illustrated bySchuylerMathews Collected and arranged by sive.If books were publishedas partofa series,assembling the complete Josephine Pollard set became a priority.If McLoughlin created a game using a plate that Published byMcLoughlin Brothers, alsoappearedin a book,we searchedforboth.Ultimatelywe discovered, NewYork as manycollectors do,thatthere is realsatisfaction in creating andcaring Copyright 1889 fora collection—in carefullyconserving andmeticulouslycataloging each This collection ofdiversions includes item—andin knowing thatyou have preservedthe pastforthe future. manygames andsongs stillenjoyedby I hope thatwhile reading this bookthe message comes through to young children today,including musi- calchairs,PopGoes the Weasel,and readers young andold,especiallyourgrandchildren,thatbooks are beauti- London Bridge,as wellas some less ful,thatlearning is exciting,andthatcollecting forus was a wonderfulcol- commonlyrecalled,such as Drawa laboration.Behindeverypurchase there is a personaladventure,andfor Bucket ofWater.The heftyvolume also each ofthe images depictedhere there is a precious memory. includes directions formaking shadow pictures andforplaying conversation andfortune-telling games. —ellen liman
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