Children's Illustrators- Further Research
Week 1
Randolph Caldecott (1846-1886) was a prolific children’s
illustrator during the Mid-Victorian Era. Caldecott had a passion to produce meticulous
and fluid illustrations to adorn a vast array of re-adaptations and original children’s
rhymes. He influenced the fact that the whole book could be visually beautiful,
rather than the illustrations anchoring the text on the pages. Additionally, he
was the first author/illustrator who sought for “Royalties” to be paid for each
book sold. As a direct result of this many authors and illustrators today have been
able to make a living wage from their work.
Caldecott’s style was very influential in his era. Although,
his in-depth style of work was similar to other children’s illustrators, such
as Walter Crane, Caldecott’s was also original in his thinking as he created
fluidity and movement within his artwork. Caldecott’s techniques to harmonise
the use of blank space and engaging colour schemes so that the end result
appeared light and airy, rather than cluttered on the page, greatly improved
over the years, and enabled the reader to become engrossed and immersed in the
picture. For example: Caldecott’s Babes in the Woods (1879) was mainly written
on a single page, accompanied by a line drawing. He also opted to use coloured
lithography prints with text being wrote on the picture making it hard to read.
Whereas, Hey Diddle Diddle and Baby Bunting (1882) was, and still is,
visually appealing as he depicts a page-by-page experience for the reader by
writing and illustrating each verse of the rhyme across a double-page spread.
In response to the above comment about The Babes in The
Wood, this piece of literature might be more suitable for an older audience
(8/9 years+) as they would be able to start understanding, raising questions or
discuss the themes of the book which tend to be macabre in places. For example,
the ending scene suggests that the uncle has killed his family for their
wealth. Furthermore, I believe an older audience will be able to understand the
imagery and appreciate the craftmanship of his work. Alternatively, Hey
Diddle Diddle and Baby Bunting could be appropriate for a younger audience
(2-5 years) as it’s a fun and more engaging way for children to learn nursery
rhymes at their own pace. Additionally, the inclusion of a few words per page and
simplified drawings also meant the book would not be overwhelming for them. Interestingly,
during the 80’s school was mandatory for children between the ages of 5-10
years, which supports my theory that his target audience with Babes in the
Wood being intended for the older children and Hey Diddle Diddle and
Baby Bunting for the younger ones.
Bibliography:
British Library (2021) Randolph Caldecott's Picture
Books: Hey Diddle Diddle and Baby Bunting. Available at: https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/randolph-caldecotts-picture-books-hey-diddle-diddle-and-baby-bunting
(Accessed: 23 September 2021)
Corryn Kosik (2018) Randolph Caldecott. Available at:
https://www.illustrationhistory.org/artists/randolph-caldecott-
(Accessed: 23 September 2021)
Matthew Maynard (2013) Randolph Caldecott - On Book
Design. Available at: https://gdes3004matthewmaynard.blogspot.com/2013/05/randolph-caldecott-on-book-design.html
(Accessed: 23 September 2021)
Pook Press (2021) The Babes in the Wood – Illustrated by
Randolph Caldecott. Available at: https://www.pookpress.co.uk/shop/babes-in-the-wood-randolph-caldecott/
(Accessed: 23 September 2021)
Randolph Caldecott Society (2005) Nursery Rhymes
illustrated by Randolph Caldecott. Available at: http://www.randolphcaldecott.org.uk/rhymes.htm#Hey%20Diddle%20Diddle
(Accessed: 23 September 2021)
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