Robert Lawson (October 4, 1892 – May 27, 1957) was an American writer and artist, best known for his work as an author and illustrator of
children's literature
Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. In addition to conventional literary genres, modern children's literature is classified by the intended age of the reade ...
. Lawson won the prestigious
Caldecott Medal
The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service ...
in 1941 for his illustrations in ''
They Were Strong and Good'' and the
Newbery Medal
The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...
in 1945 for his work on ''
Rabbit Hill''; he is the only person to have won both of medals.
In addition to his work in children's books, Lawson also created
etchings, which earned him the
John Taylor Arms Prize from the
Society of American Etchers in 1931.
His artwork, including etchings, prints, works in pen and ink, and pencil on paper, is held in prominent collections such as the
Smithsonian American Art Museum
The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM; formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds one of the world's lar ...
and the
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
.
Biography
Early life
Robert Lawson was born on October 4, 1892, in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. He was raised in
Montclair, New Jersey
Montclair is a Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a commercial and cultural hub of North Jersey and a diverse ...
, where he developed an early interest in art while in high school.
He went on to study art at the New York School of Fine Arts (now
Parsons School of Design
The Parsons School of Design is a private art and design college under The New School located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Founded in 1896 after a group of progressive artists broke away from established Manhattan art ...
) from 1911 to 1914.
There he received instruction by illustrator
Howard Giles (an advocate of
dynamic symmetry as conceived by
Jay Hambidge.
His career as an illustrator began in 1914, when his illustration for a poem about the invasion of
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
was published in ''Harper's Weekly''. He went on to publish in other magazines, including the ''
Ladies Home Journal'', ''
Everybody's Magazine
''Everybody's Magazine'' was an American magazine published from 1899 to 1929. The magazine was headquartered in New York City.
History and profile
The magazine was founded by Philadelphia merchant John Wanamaker in 1899, though he had little r ...
'', ''
Century Magazine'', ''
Vogue'', and ''Designer''.
Military service - Camouflage Corps
During
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Lawson served in the U.S. Army from 1917 to 1919.ref name=UMNLib/> He was a member of the first U.S. Army camouflage unit, the
American Camouflage Corps, in which he served in France with fellow artists
Barry Faulkner,
Sherry Edmundson Fry,
William Twigg-Smith and
Kerr Eby (Behrens 2009). In his autobiography, Faulkner recalls that Lawson had a remarkable "sense of fantasy and humor", which made him especially valuable when the camoufleurs put on musical shows for the children of the French women who worked with them on camouflage.
[
]
Post-World War I
After serving in World War I, Lawson began doing illustrations for ''
Century Magazine'' and other publications. He illustrated his first children's book,'The Wonderful Adventures of Little Prince Toofat'', in 1922.
Lawson married fellow artist and illustrator Marie Abrams in 1922.
They moved to
Westport, Connecticut
Westport is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Located in the Gold Coast (Connecticut), Gold Coast along the Long Island Sound, it is northeast of New York City and is part of the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connec ...
, in 1923, where they designed Christmas cards.
He went on to have a prolific and notable career as an artist, illustrator and author.
Final years and legacy
Lawson died in 1957 at age 64 in
Westport, Connecticut
Westport is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Located in the Gold Coast (Connecticut), Gold Coast along the Long Island Sound, it is northeast of New York City and is part of the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connec ...
, in his home, that he referred to as "Rabbit Hill".
He is buried in Mountain Grove Cemetery, in
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the List of cities in New England by population, fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Loc ...
.
In 2001, the annual Rabbit Hill Festival of Literature, celebrating children’s books, was first held in Westport, Connecticut. It is named in honor of Lawson, being named after ''Rabbit Hill'', the name of his's home and his 1945 Newbery Medal winner.
Art and writing career
Etchings
In the early 1930s, Lawson became interested in
etching
Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other type ...
. For his work, 1931, was awarded the
John Taylor Arms Prize by the
Society of American Etchers.
[ One of the most significant etchings created by Lawson was the 1932 Presentation Plate for members of the Society of American Etchers, which
depicted ]Pegasus
Pegasus (; ) is a winged horse in Greek mythology, usually depicted as a white stallion. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. Pegasus was the brother of Chrysaor, both born from Medusa's blood w ...
. According to ''The Brooklyn Daily Eagle'' (November 13, 1932), the presentation of a print by a prominent American artist was an annual feature of the society's activities since its foundation in 1915. Each year, an active member of the society was commissioned to create a plate for its membership.
Lawson's etchings are held in notable collections such as the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.[
]
Children's books - Illustrator and author
After the war, Lawson resumed his work as an artist, and in 1922, illustrated his first children's book, ''The Wonderful Adventures of Little Prince Toofat''. Subsequently, he illustrated dozens of children's books by other authors, including such well-known titles as '' The Story of Ferdinand'' (1936) by Munro Leaf and '' Mr. Popper's Penguins'' (1938) by Richard and Florence Atwater. In total, he illustrated as many as 40 books by other writers and 17 others that he wrote himself. These latter works included '' They Were Strong and Good'' (1940) (which won the Caldecott Medal in 1941), ''Ben and Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin by His Good Mouse Amos'' (1939) (which earned a Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1961), and '' Rabbit Hill'' (1944) (which won the Newbery Award in 1945).
''The Story of Ferdinand'' (which Lawson illustrated) was adapted into '' Ferdinand the Bull'' by Walt Disney Productions
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...
in 1938. '' Ben and Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin by His Good Mouse Amos'' was adapted into the animated short '' Ben and Me'' in 1953 by Walt Disney Productions.
Lawson was a witty and inventive writer, and his children's fiction is also engaging for adults. One of his inventive themes was the idea of a person's life as seen through the eyes of a companion animal, an approach that he first realized in ''Ben and Me''. Some of his later books employed the same device (which was compatible with his style of illustration) to other figures, such as Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...
(''I Discover Columbus'') and Paul Revere
Paul Revere (; December 21, 1734 O.S. (January 1, 1735 N.S.)May 10, 1818) was an American silversmith, military officer and industrialist who played a major role during the opening months of the American Revolutionary War in Massachusetts, ...
(''Mr. Revere and I''). ''Captain Kidd's Cat'', which he both wrote and illustrated, is narrated by the feline in the title, named McDermot, who tells the story of the famous pirate's ill-starred voyage, in the process of which he is shown to have been a brave, upright, honest man betrayed by his friends and calumniated by posterity. His artistic witticism and creativity can be seen in ''The Story of Ferdinand the Bull'', where he illustrates a cork tree as a tree that bears corks as fruit, ready to be picked and placed into bottles.
Exhibitions and collections
The largest collection of Robert Lawson's art is at the Free Library of Philadelphia
The Free Library of Philadelphia is the public library system that serves the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is the 16th-largest public library system in the United States. The Free Library of Philadelphia is a non-Mayoral agency of the ...
Rare Book Department.["Frederick R. Gardner collection of Robert Lawson"]
Free Library of Philadelphia The Free Library collection contains items dating from 1900 to 1983, with illustrations making up most of their collection. Notably, the collection includes the dummy for ''The Story of Ferdinand'', and the original work for ''Mr. Popper's Penguins'', and ''Wee Gillis''.[
The ]Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
holds:[
* "Midnight" (c 1929–35), etching
* "Leprechaun Playing the Harp" from "The Dial" (1930), print
* "Leprechaun Seated and Thinking ( recto), Leprechaun Riding a Pig (]verso
''Recto'' is the "right" or "front" side and ''verso'' is the "left" or "back" side when text is written or printed on a leaf of paper () in a bound item such as a codex, book, broadsheet, or pamphlet.
In double-sided printing, each leaf h ...
)" (c 1930), print
* "We Fix Flats" (1932), etching
* "They Were Strong and Good" (1952), print
The Smithsonian American Art Museum
The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM; formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds one of the world's lar ...
has nine of his art pieces in their collection:[
* "Finished Drawing – Welcome of Washington" (nd), pencil on ]paperboard
Paperboard is a thick paper-based material. While there is no rigid differentiation between paper and paperboard, paperboard is generally thicker (usually over 0.30 mm, 0.012 in, or 12 Inch#Equivalents, points) than paper and has certain superior ...
* "Little Elf by Big Shoe" (nd), etching
* "New York Welcomes the President-Elect"(from the portfolio “The Bicentennial Pageant of George Washington”) (1932), etching on paper
* "New York Welcomes the President-Elect" (nd), pen and ink, charcoal
Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, ca ...
and chinese white
Zinc oxide is an inorganic compound with the formula . It is a white powder which is insoluble in water. ZnO is used as an additive in numerous materials and products including cosmetics, food supplements, rubbers, plastics, ceramics, glass, ce ...
on paperboard
Paperboard is a thick paper-based material. While there is no rigid differentiation between paper and paperboard, paperboard is generally thicker (usually over 0.30 mm, 0.012 in, or 12 Inch#Equivalents, points) than paper and has certain superior ...
* "Preliminary Sketch – Welcome of Washington" (nd), pen and ink, charcoal and chinese white on paperboard
* "Pegasus" (nd), etching
* "New York Welcomes the President-Elect" (cancelled plate from the portfolio "The Bicentennial Pageant of George Washington") (c. 1932), etching
* "New York Welcomes the President-Elect" (nd), pen and ink, charcoal and chinese white
* "The March of Progress" (c 1930-1931), etching
The Robert Lawson Papers are in the University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...
Children's Literature Research Collections."Robert Lawson Papers"
University of Minnesota Library, David E Byer
Works
Author
Lawson authored many children's books, including ''Rabbit Hill'', for which he was awarded the 1944 Newbery Medal.
* ''Country Colic''. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1944.
* '' Rabbit Hill''. New York: Viking Press, 1944. also Junior Literary Guild
* ''Mr. Wilmer''. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1945.
* ''At That Time''. New York: Viking Press, 1947.
* ''Mr. Twigg's Mistake''. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1947.
* ''Robbut: A Tale of Tails''. New York: Viking Press, 1948.
* ''Dick Whittington and His Cat''. New York: Limited Editions Club, 1949.
* ''The Fabulous Flight''. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1949.
* ''Smeller Martin''. New York: Viking Press, 1950.
* ''McWhinney's Jaunt''. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1951.
* ''Edward, Hoppy and Joe''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1952.
* ''Mr. Revere and I''. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1953.
* ''The Tough Winter''. New York: Viking Press, 1954. also Junior Literary Guild
* ''Captain Kidd's Cat''. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1956.
* '' The Great Wheel''. New York: Viking Press, 1957.
* Yolen, Jane. ''Spaceships & Spells: A collection of new fantasy and science-fiction stories''. New York: Harper & Row, (1987). Contains the Robert Lawson short story "The Silver Leopard".
Illustrator
Lawson illustrated many books, both those that he authored, and for fellow children's literature authors. He won the 1941 Caldecott Medal for his illustration of his book '' They Were Strong and Good''.
* Chester, George Randolph, ''The Wonderful Adventures of Little Prince Toofat''. New York: James A. McCann, 1922.
* Mason, Arthur, ''The Wee Men of Ballywooden''. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Doran, 1930; New York: Viking Press, 1952.
* Bianco, Margery Williams, "The House That Grew Small". ''St. Nicholas Magazine'' 58 (September 1931): 764–66, 782–83.
* Mason, Arthur, ''From the Horn of the Moon''. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Doran, 1931. Excerpted as "Moving of the Bog", ''St. Nicholas Magazine'' 58 (July 1931): 644–47, 667–70.
* Mason, Arthur, ''The Roving Lobster''. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Doran, 1931.
* Untermeyer, Louis, "The Donkey of God". ''St. Nicholas Magazine'' 59 (December 1931): 59–61, 105–108.
* Ring, Barbara, ''Peik''. Translated by Lorence Munson Woodside. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1932.
* Young, Ella, ''The Unicorn with Silver Shoes''. New York: Longmans, Green, 1932.
* Bianco, Margery Williams, ''The Hurdy-Gurdy Man''. New York: Oxford University Press, 1933.
* Marquand, John P., ''Haven's End''. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1933.
* Haines, William Wister, ''Slim''. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1934.
* Tarn, William Woodthorpe, ''The Treasure of the Isle of Mist''. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1934. also Junior Literary Guild
* Coatsworth, Elizabeth, ''The Golden Horseshoe''. New York: Macmillan & Co., 1935; rev. ed., 1968.
* Sterne, Emma Gelders, ''Drums of Monmouth''. New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1935.
* Bates, Helen Dixon, ''Betsy Ross''. New York: Whittlesey House and McGraw-Hill, 1936.
* Bates, Helen Dixon, ''Francis Scott Key''. New York: Whittlesey House and McGraw-Hill, 1936.
* Gale, Elizabeth, ''Seven Beads of Wampum''. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1936. also Junior Literary Guild
* Glenn, Mabelle, et al., eds., ''Tunes and Harmonies''. Boston: Athenaeum Press, 1936. The Revised 1943 edition is lacking the Full Page, Two-Color illustration found at page 8 in the 1936 edition.
* Leaf, Munro, '' The Story of Ferdinand''. New York: Viking Press, 1936.
* Barnes, Ruth A., ed., ''I Hear America Singing: An Anthology of Folk Poetry''. Chicago: John C. Winston Co. and the Junior Literary Guild, 1937.
* Bowie, Walter Russell, ''The Story of Jesus for Young People''. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1937.
* Brewton, John E., ''Under the Tent of the Sky: A Collection of Poems about Animals Large and Small''. New York: Macmillan & Co., 1937.
* Cormack, Maribelle, ''Wind of the Vikings: A Tale of the Orkney Isles''. New York: D. Appleton-Century, 1937.
* Fish, Helen Dean, ed., '' Four and Twenty Blackbirds: Nursery Rhymes of Yesterday Recalled for Children of To-Day''. New York: Frederick. A. Stokes, 1937.
* MacDonald, Rose Mortimer Ellzey. ''Nelly Custis Daughter of Mount Vernon''. Boston: Athenaeum Press, 1937. Lawson End Pages only
* Rosmer, Jean, ''In Secret Service: A Mystery Story of Napoleon's Court''. Translated by Virginia Olcott. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1937.
* Sterne, Emma Gelders, ''Miranda Is a Princess: A Story of Old Spain''. New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1937.
* Stratton, Clarence, ''Swords and Statues: A Tale of Sixteenth Century Italy''. New York: John C. Winston Co. and the Junior Literary Guild, 1937.
* Twain, Mark, ''The Prince and the Pauper
''The Prince and the Pauper'' is a novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada, before its 1882 publication in the United States. The novel represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction. The plot conce ...
''. Chicago: John C. Winston Co., 1937.
* Atwater, Richard, and Florence Atwater, Robert Lawson (illustrator)''. Mr. Popper's Penguins''. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1938.
* Farjeon, Eleanor, ''One Foot in Fairyland''. New York: Frederick A. Stokes, 1938.
* Haines, William Wister, ''High Tension''. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1938.
* Leaf, Munro, '' Wee Gillis''. New York: Viking Press, 1938.
* Lawson, Robert. ''Ben and Me''. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1939.
* Bunyan, John, '' Pilgrim's Progress''. Text revised by Mary Godolphin. New York: Frederick A. Stokes, 1939.
* White, T. H., '' The Sword in the Stone''. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1939.
* Lawson, Robert. ''Just for Fun: A Collection of Stories and Verses''. Chicago: Rand McNally, 1940.
* Lawson, Robert. '' They Were Strong and Good''. New York: Viking Press, 1940; rev. ed., 1968.
* Brewton, John E, ''Gaily We Parade: A Collection of Poems about People, Here, There and Everywhere''. New York: Macmillan & Co., 1940.
* Lawson, Robert. ''I Discover Columbus''. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1941.
* Leaf, Munro, ''Aesop's Fables''. New York: Heritage Press, 1941.
* Leaf, Munro, ''The Story of Simpson and Sampson''. New York: Viking Press, 1941.
* C. S. Forester, ''Poo-Poo and the Dragons''. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1942.
* Gray, Elizabeth Janet, ''c''. New York: Viking Press, 1942.
* Lang, Andrew, '' Prince Prigio''. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1942.
* Stephens, James, '' The Crock of Gold''. New York: Limited Editions Club, 1942.
* Lawson, Robert. ''Watchwords of Liberty''. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1943; rev. ed., 1957.
* Teal, Val, ''The Little Woman Wanted Noise''. New York: Rand McNally, 1943; rev. ed., 1967.
* The Woman's Club of Westport. ''The Connecticut Cookbook''. Westport, Connecticut: Westport Women's Club, 1943, Paperback w/wire spine, (p. 28). Reprinted New York: Harper & Brothers, 1944.
* Neilson, Frances F., and Winthrop Neilson, ''Benjamin Franklin''. Reader in Real People Series. New York: Row, Peterson, 1950. Reprinted 1963 by California State Department of Education.
* Hall, William, ''The Shoelace Robin''. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1945.
* Robinson, Tom, ''Greylock and the Robins''. New York: Viking Press and the Junior Literary Guild, 1946.
* Potter, Mary A., et al., ''Mathematics for Success''. Boston: Athenaeum Press, 1952. Revised 1960 edition has No Lawson Illustrations.
See also
*
*
References
Further reading
* Faulkner, Barry, ''Sketches from an Artist's Life''. Dublin, New Hampshire: William Bauhan, 1973.
* "Robert Lawson" in Walt Reed, ''The Illustrator in America 1860–2000''. New York: Society of Illustrators, 2001, p. 186. .
* "Robert Lawson" in Roy R. Behrens, ''Camoupedia: A Compendium of Research on Art, Architecture and Camouflage''. Dysart, Iowa: Bobolink Books, 2009, p. 221. .
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawson, Robert
1892 births
1957 deaths
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American novelists
American children's book illustrators
American children's writers
American etchers
American male novelists
United States Army personnel of World War I
Burials at Mountain Grove Cemetery, Bridgeport
Caldecott Medal winners
Newbery Medal winners
Newbery Honor winners
Novelists from Connecticut
Novelists from New Jersey
Novelists from New York (state)
Writers from Montclair, New Jersey
Artists from Westport, Connecticut
Writers from Westport, Connecticut
Writers from New York City