Figure 1.-- |
|
We are ot entirely sure about the history of illustrating books. Some ancient wirings were illustrated, such as the Egyptian Book of the Dead and the Mayan Codices. As the writing systems were in part pictorial, the illustration was somewhat merged with the illustration. Our information here is limited. We are not sure abour Roman scrolls. I do not think they were illustrated, at least heavily so. The most renowned early illustrated books were the beautiful illuminated (illustrated) Bibles of the Medieval era. Perhaps the earliest and most beautiful were the Celtic (Irish) illuminated Bibles. The term illumination seems to reflect their beauty, they seemed to lighten up the Bible. Gold and silver paint were added to the colors. Books in the medieval period were expensive as they had to be copied by hand and these illuminated manuspripts which might be done on parchment were priceless. They were not available to most people who were at any rate illiterate. They were held by the very rich and important churches. This changed dramatically with invention of the printing press (15th century) whichich dramtically reduced the cost of books, making them much more accessable. The Protestant Revolution soon after changed attitudes toward reading. The Catholic Church had ebdevored to keep the Bile out of people's hands, fearing they could not be trusted to interpet it. One of Luther's first acts after posting the 95 Thesis, was tobtranslate the Bible into German so that the average person could read it (16th century). This meant of course that much more attention had to be given to education so most people could read--it was one of the central tenants of the Reformtion. And with the expansion of education, early educators soon concluded that children learned better, especially younger children, if there were illustrations mixed in with the text. John Newberry was an early publisher of books for teaching children (18th century). His books were not only designed for instruction, but also to be enjoyed. The use of illustrations through the 19th century was limited by still basic development of lithography. Randolph Caldecott (1846-86) significantly affected how llustrations wre used. The illustrations he used were not only pretty, but were desiged to advance the telling of the story. Kate Greenway was anoher early illustrtor of children's books, Improvenments in color printing at the turn of the 20th century led to te Golden Age of Illustration.
We are ot entirely sure about the history of illustrating books. Some ancient wirings were illustrated, such as the Egyptian Book of the Dead and the Mayan Codices. As the writing systems were in part pictorial, the illustration was somewhat merged with the illustration. Our information here is limited. We are not sure abour Roman scrolls. I do not think they were illustrated, at least heavily so.
The most renowned early illustrated books were the beautiful illuminated (illustrated) Bibles of the Medieval era. Perhaps the earliest and most beautiful were the Celtic (Irish) illuminated Bibles. The term illumination seems to reflect their beauty, they seemed to lighten up the Bible. Gold and silver paint were added to the colors. Books in the medieval period were expensive as they had to be copied by hand and these illuminated manuspripts which might be done on parchment were priceless. They were not available to most people who were at any rate illiterate. They were held by the very rich and important churches.
The cost of books changed dramatically with invention of the printing press (15th century) whichich dramtically reduced the cost of books, making them much more accessable.
The Protestant Revolution soon after changed attitudes toward reading. The Catholic Church had ebdevored to keep the Bile out of people's hands, fearing they could not be trusted to interpet it. One of Luther's first acts after posting the 95 Thesis, was tobtranslate the Bible into German so that the average person could read it (16th century). This meant of course that much more attention had to be given to education so most people could read--it was one of the central tenants of the Reformtion.
And with the expansion of education, early educators soon concluded that children learned better, especially younger children, if there were illustrations mixed in with the text. John Newberry was an early publisher of books for teaching children (18th century). His books were not only designed for instruction, but also to be enjoyed.
The use of illustrations through the 19th century was limited by still basic development of lithography. English printer Edmund Evans specialized in children's books. He attempted to print inexpensive editions that families could afford for children. He encouraged several early illustratoes, including Randolph Caldecott, Kate Greenaway, and Walter Crane.
Randolph Caldecott (1846-86) significantly affected how llustrations wre used. The illustrations he used were not only pretty, but were desiged to advance the telling of the story. Kate Greenway (1846-1901). was anoher important early illustrtor of children's books. She created wonderful characters and painted watercolors. They were printed with wooden blocks. Improvements in lithography made possible beautiful color printing. Georgous gift books became popular. Arthur Racham (1867-1939) was a particularly imaginative illustrator. Beatricx Potter (1866-1943) both wrote and illustrated children's books. She wrote "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" and illustrated it with charming water colors (1892). She published the book (1902). It was the first of 23 "little books" that were smaller than standard volumers, but just perfect for little hands. Many develoments in illustrating childrens books were made in Britain. They soon spread to other countries.
Improvenments in color printing at the turn of the 20th century led to te Golden Age of Illustration. There were many important American illustrators in the early 20th century. One of the best known Americans was Howard Pyle (1853-1911) who both wrote and illustrated children's books, including "The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood". One of his students was perhaps the preminant American book illustrator--N.C. Wyeth (1882-1945). He is best known for his dramatic illustrations of clssic stories like The Last of the Mohicans and Trasure Island. Another important innovation in America were the Little Golden Books (1943). These were lavishly illustrated books for beginning raders. They were small books for little hands and inexpensively priced.
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Artist
[Return to the Main illustraror page]
[Return to the Main artist page]
[Chronology]
[Countries]
[Individuals]
[Styles]
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Introduction]
[Activities]
[Biographies]
[Chronology]
[Clothing styles]
[Countries]
[Literary]
[Bibliographies]
[Contributions]
[FAQs]
[Glossaries]
[Satellite sites]
[Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]