Do you love illustrations but hesitate to call them art, because aside from the occasional painting by Maxfield Parrish or Howard Pyle, you usually don’t find such work in major art museums? Do you ignore the work of illustrators because you don’t believe they are “real” artists?
Too often we treat illustrators like we treat genre writers: We view them as hacks or see their work as “lesser” because it appears in books (usually children’s books) instead of museums. But a good illustrator is an artist in their own right.
If you don’t pay much attention to illustrators, I’d like to encourage you to start doing so. Here is a list of some of my favorites. I know I’ve left some great illustrators out, and I apologize for that; I simply couldn’t include everybody. But hopefully — whether you have been interested in illustrators in the past or not — you will discover new illustrators to enjoy.
Ernest Shepard (1879-1976)
Best known for: His illustrations for the Winnie-the-Pooh books and The Wind in the Willows
I will not be parted from my copy of The Wind in the Willows with color plates by Ernest Shephard. Although other artists (particularly Michael Hague) have created excellent illustrations for this book, Shephard captured characters such as Rat, Mole, and Toad like no one else.
Clare Turlay Newberry (1903-1970)
Best known for: Her illustrations of animals, particularly cats
A few facts:
- Claire Turlay Newberry wrote as well as illustrated.
- You can still easily find several of her picture books, including Mittens, Marshmallow, and April’s Kittens.
Unfortunately T-Bone the Babysitter, my favorite of her books, is out of print. I highly recommend it if you can get your hands on a copy. The wild-eyed T-Bone above says everything.
Pauline Baynes (1922-2008)
Best known for: Illustrating The Chronicles of Narnia
Pauline Baynes also illustrated several of Tolkien’s books, including Smith of Wootton Major and Farmer Giles of Ham. (The book cover that illustrates my blog post about Smith of Wootton Major is not by Baynes. It’s by the Brothers Hildebrandt, featured later in this post.)
Margaret Evans Price (1888-1973)
Best known for: Being one of the co-founders of Fisher-Price.
Margaret Evans Price created designs for several Fisher-Price toys, but she was a very prolific artist outside of her design work, creating illustrations, murals, portraits, and still lifes.
Trina Schart Hyman (1939-2004)
Best known for: Her illustrations for the Caldecott-winning book, Saint George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges
A few facts:
- She was nominated for the Caldecott an additional three times.
- She served as art director for Cricket magazine.
Trina Schart Hyman may well be my favorite illustrator on this list, simply because her illustrations infused my childhood reading. The world lost her too soon, but she accomplished an amazing amount during her lifetime.
Gustaf Tenggren (1896-1970)
Best known for: Serving as chief illustrator for Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, as well as working on Bambi, Pinocchio, and other Disney productions.
Gustaf Tenggren is also well-known for several Little Golden Books, including The Poky Little Puppy, The Shy Little Kitten, The Saggy Baggy Elephant, and The Tawny Scrawny Lion.
Richard Scarry (1919-1994)
Best known for: His many books about Busytown, featuring characters such as Huckle Cat and Lowly Worm
Although Richard Scarry could certainly draw a better bear than I can, I love him more for the details in his drawing rather than the quality of his art. I’m sure I spent hours as a child getting lost in Busytown.
Garth Williams (1912-1996)
Best known for: His illustrations for children’s classics such as the original eight Little House books, Charlotte’s Web, The Cricket in Times Square, and many other books
Like all of the best illustrators, Garth Williams’ illustrations have become an essential part of the books they appear in. I can’t imagine Little House in the Big Woods without them.
Arthur Rackham (1867-1939)
Best known for: Being one of the key figures in the Golden Age of Illustration
Arthur Rackham’s illustrations are classics. Along with Sir John Tenniel, Rackham created some of the best known illustrations for Alice in Wonderland. He also illustrated several fairy tales and books.
Elenore Abbott (1875-1935)
Best known for: Her illustrations for Grimm’s Fairy Tales
A few facts:
- Elenore Abbott studied under famous illustrator Howard Pyle.
- She was an early member of The Plastic Club, originally an arts organization for women.
Tasha Tudor (1915-2008)
Best known for: The books she wrote and illustrated, including Corgiville Fair
A few facts:
- Tasha Tudor illustrated children’s classics such as A Child’s Garden of Verses, The Secret Garden, and Little Women.
- She was also well-known for having adopted an old-fashioned way of living on a New England farm.
Whatever you might think of her way of life (one of her estranged children claimed she lived in a “fantasy world”), Tudor was definitely true to herself.
Ezra Jack Keats (1916-1983)
Best known for: His Caldecott-winning book, The Snowy Day
A few facts:
- Ezra Jack Keats is one of two white illustrators in this list who embraced diversity in their illustrations, because they believed it was the right thing to do (the other is Trina Schart Hyman).
- He frequently used collage to create his illustrations.
My earliest library memory is of paging through some of Keats’ books in my first elementary school’s library. I loved the bright pictures in The Snowy Day, Whistle for Willie, and Peter’s Chair.
Ingri (1904-1980) and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire (1898-1986)
Best known for: Their Caldecott-winning book, Abraham Lincoln
Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire were a Caldecott-winning couple who wrote and illustrated several books together, including Abraham Lincoln, Norse Gods and Giants, and d’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths. The latter two books are two of my favorite books of mythology.
Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966)
Best known for: His color-saturated art
Among the books Maxfield Parrish illustrated are A Child’s Garden of Verses, Arabian Nights, and A Wonder Book and Tanglewood Tales. You’ll find lots of references to his work in pop culture, including the video for Enya’s “Caribbean Blue.”
Beatrix Potter (1866-1943)
Best known for: Her children’s books about anthropomorphic animals
Never read any of Beatrix Potter’s work beyond The Tale of Peter Rabbit? I highly recommend The Tale of Two Bad Mice.
Edmund Dulac (1882-1953)
Best known for: His fairy tale illustrations, including “Sleeping Beauty” and “The Little Mermaid”
A few facts:
- Besides his fairy tale illustrations, Edmund Dulac illustrated several books, including Jane Eyre and The Tempest.
- Dulac also designed British postage stamps.
Greg (b. 1939) and Tim Hildebrandt (1939-2006)
Best known for: The Lord of the Rings calendar illustrations
A few facts:
- Known as the Brothers Hildebrandt.
- Like the d’Aulaires, the Hildebrandts did most of their work collaboratively.
My favorite moment related to the art of the Brothers Hildebrandt was when I brought my mom’s original copy of The Sword of Shannara, with one color plate and several black-and-white illustrations by the brothers, to a book-signing by Terry Brooks. The author flipped straight to the color plate and raised his eyebrows.
Jerry Pinkney (b. 1939)
Best known for: His Caldecott-winning book, The Lion and the Mouse
Jerry Pinkney has illustrated more than 100 books, including several folk and fairy tales as well as classics like Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry; Gulliver’s Travels; and The Jungle Book.