Every adult was once a child. A recently opened exhibition at Hagerstown’s Washington County Museum of Fine Arts (WCMFA) will surely invoke reminiscent youthful memories. Titled “Childhood Favorites: 100 Years of Children’s Book Illustrations”, the showing features 140 original works from 75 books, including some of literature’s most celebrated writers and illustrators. The exhibition opened November 25, 2023 and continues to March 17, 2024.
“Every age group will enjoy this exhibit’s artwork”, said Sarah Wolfe, WCMFA’s Manager of Exhibitions and Collections. The exhibition was organized by Lee Cohen and Lois Sarkisian in association with Landau Traveling Exhibitions. A family reading area was funded by the John R. Hershey Jr. and Anna L. Hershey Family Foundation.
Children’s literature has its roots in fairy tales and spoken stories told by adults. Many of these original fables had moral or religious messages attached to both educate and entertain young minds. The lessons learned through these stories are touchstones that reflect values from the era they were written, as well as artistic styles and methods favored by storytellers, authors, and illustrators during those periods.
In these works, artists utilized humor and contemporary situations to convey their messages. With colorful and detailed artwork integrated with text, creators amplified emotion and captured readers’ imaginations. The difference between heroes and monsters, good and evil, is a common theme.
Once printing was commonplace, the late nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries became the golden age of children’s literature and the timeframe when many classics were published. The WCMFA exhibition features many works from those glory years.
One exhibit artist will be familiar to all ages. Theodor Seuss Geisel is likely the best known children’s author in history. Born in 1904, Geisel adopted the name Dr. Seuss while attending Dartmouth College. After starting his career in animation, Geisel went on to write 60 books that sold over 600 million copies, and translated into more than 20 languages. In 1984, Geisel was awarded a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation.
Dr. Seuss’s creativity spawned feature films, TV specials, and Broadway musicals. His unforgettable tales, such as Cat in the Hat, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Green Eggs and Ham, are still best-selling children’s classics.
Maurice Sendak (1928-2012) is another artist seen at the WCMFA exhibit. His fame as an author originated with his book: Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963. The tale centers on a young boy named Max, who after dressing in a wolf suit, rebels against his mother after being sent to bed without supper. Max creates a jungle world inside his bedroom with wild characters that many originally thought were too scary for children. But Sendak’s memorable story became a youth classic, and later turned into a major motion picture.
A third prominent author/illustrator featured at the Children’s Illustrations Exhibit is Beatrix Potter. Potter (1866-1943) was born in Britain and wrote the famed Tale of Peter Rabbit. Peter’s journey into mischief eventually sold 45 million copies, making it one of the best-selling books in history. Peter’s enduring popularity led to the first licensed character sold as a commercial product. Potter was also known as a champion of outdoor conservation in Britain’s Lake District.
Other noted authors in the WCMFA exhibition include Garth Williams and Mo Willems. Famous literary characters represented are Eloise, Babar, Madeline, and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.
The exhibit’s artwork is well-labeled, giving context to each piece. The children’s reading area is popular with kids and adults alike. “This takes me back to my childhood,” said a visiting parent, “and now I can share these stories with my son.”
Children’s literature usually commences with a lesson in morals: mind your manners, be a good neighbor and respect your elders. But these books also nurture young imaginations and teach how to visualize the world by surrounding readers with stimulating art, descriptive words, and the boundless limits of human expression.
The Washington County Museum of Art is a fitting venue for creative discovery, for art lovers of all interests and ages. On a wintery day, the museum is an inspiring space to explore, broaden knowledge, and remember- it’s never too late to live with a child’s imagination.
Washington County Museum of Fine Arts: 401 Museum Drive, Hagerstown, MD; 301-739-5727; wcmfa.org.
