Under the Window Pictures and Rhymes for Children
Date
1878
Level of description
Item
Creator
Greenaway, Kate: Perhaps the foremost children's book illustrator of her generation rivalling Walter Crane and part of defining the nursery style of 'Toy books'. Greenaway was elected to the Royal Institute of Painters in watercolour in 1890 and famous for her Almanacs and publications like Under the Window, followed by The Birthday Book (1880), Mother Goose (1881), Little Ann (1883). She studied at the National Art Training School in London which was closely connected to the Royal School of Art Needlework in the late 19th century and also at the Hatherley School of Fine Art and the Slade Art School
REF: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kate-Greenaway
Anne Lundin 'Kate Greenaway's Critical and Commercial Reception'The Princeton University Library Chronicle, Vol. 57, No. 1 (AUTUMN 1995), pp. 126-146 (21 pages)
Scope and content
Under the Window: Pictures & Rhymes for Children (London, 1879), of which this is a first edition, was Kate Greenaway's first children's picture book. Greenaway composed the verse and drew the illustrations. A great commercial success it launched the 'Greenaway vogue', prompting imitations in clothing, wallpaper, ceramics and needlework as well as greetings cards and bookplates. (Ref: Anne Lundin 'Kate Greenaway's Critical and Commercial Reception'The Princeton University Library Chronicle, Vol. 57, No. 1 (AUTUMN 1995), pp. 126-146 (21 pages)
This volume is stamped with the post 1921 ‘Royal School of Needlework London, S.W.7’ stamp and ‘Painting Room’ and would have been part of the Painting Room, the department responsible for design at the RSN. A squared grid drawn on cover and on p. 21, suggest it was being used for embroidery design. The RSN produced a number of designs in the 'Greenaway vogue' and works by Miss Howard of the RSN Painting Room and others show that 'fairy-tale' style embroideries were produced by the RSN in the 1880s.
Greenaway illustrated over 150 books but Under the Window and Marigold Garden (1885) were the only two books that she both wrote and illustrated. Under the Window is considered to be one of the first earliest examples of a designer picture book.
For a digitised (LATER) version see: https://archive.org/details/underwindow00gree
This volume is stamped with the post 1921 ‘Royal School of Needlework London, S.W.7’ stamp and ‘Painting Room’ and would have been part of the Painting Room, the department responsible for design at the RSN. A squared grid drawn on cover and on p. 21, suggest it was being used for embroidery design. The RSN produced a number of designs in the 'Greenaway vogue' and works by Miss Howard of the RSN Painting Room and others show that 'fairy-tale' style embroideries were produced by the RSN in the 1880s.
Greenaway illustrated over 150 books but Under the Window and Marigold Garden (1885) were the only two books that she both wrote and illustrated. Under the Window is considered to be one of the first earliest examples of a designer picture book.
For a digitised (LATER) version see: https://archive.org/details/underwindow00gree
Reference code
books/Gr1
