Catherine Greenaway (called Kate) was born in London on March 17, 1846 to John Greenaway, a wood engraver and draughtsman, and Elizabeth Jones, a seamstress. Along with Walter Crane and Randolph Caldecott, Kate Greenaway is considered one of England's three great children's illustrators of the late nineteenth century. Her work is primarily characterized by depictions of cheerful childhood scenes.

At her family’s home in Rolleston, Kate fell in love with the English countryside. She would later draw on her vivid memories of this time when composing her children’s books. When her father’s publisher Appleyard went bankrupt in 1848, the family moved back to London where her mother set up shop selling lace, children’s dresses, and other goods. In the shop Kate learned how to sew and design children’s clothing, and many designs would appear in her later works.

In 1857 Kate’s cousin, who took art lessons at the nearby Finsbury School of Art, moved in with the family. Kate would accompany her to the lessons and showed a real aptitude for art, and her father encouraged her study. After Finsbury, Kate went on to the National Art Training School in South Kensington (now the Royal College of Art) and also took life drawing classes at Heatherly’s. She won her first national award in 1861, a bronze medal, and her second in 1864. She later received a silver medal from the school when she graduated from South Kensington in 1869.

In 1867 her first book illustration was published, the frontispiece to Infant Amusements, or How to Make a Nursery Happy. She received her first important commission in 1869 when she was asked to illustrate Diamonds and Toads, published by Frederick Warne. A few years after illustrating other author’s children’s books she began working on a book of her own. Her first book was Under the Window: Pictures and Rhymes for Children, published in 1878. The book quickly sold out and Greenaway's reputation soared to the point where bootleg copies of her artwork became a serious issue. Encouraged by this success, she went on to write and illustrate other works such as The Language of Flowers, Kate Greenaway's Alphabet, and Kate Greenaway's Book of Games.

Many critics responded positively to Greenaway's work. Some critics remarked that while Greenaway excelled at capturing the bright, cheerful side of life, she shied away from depicting the darkness. Her great friend, the art critic John Ruskin, tried to persuade her away from children's illustration to more serious subject matter. To please him she did some work in oils and had well-received exhibitions at The Fine Arts Society in London in 1891 and 1894, but she never specialized in the fine arts as Ruskin wanted. Children's illustration provided a more reliable source of income.

She enjoyed the most success during the 1880s. As her popularity waned, she became somewhat disillusioned with the publishing world and became increasingly reclusive. She died at fifty-five on November 6, 1901 from breast cancer. By the time of her death her books were being revived in Britain and America by Frederick Warne, and her works are now recognized as classics in children’s literature. In 1955 the Kate Greenaway medal was established for illustrators of children’s books and is given by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in the UK.

Bibliography

Engen, Rodney. Kate Greenaway: A Biography. New York: Schocken Books, 1981.

Holme, Bryan. The Kate Greenaway Book. New York: The Viking Press, 1976.

Schuster, Thomas E. and Rodney Engen. Printed Kate Greenaway: A Catalogue Raisonne. Gloucestershire: Windmill Graphics, 1986.

Something about the Author, vol. 100.

This collection contains correspondence, original artwork, and ephemera by or relating to the children’s author and illustrator Kate Greenaway. The collection is divided into four parts, Correspondence, Artwork, Ephemera, and Post-lifetime ephemera. The material dates from 1868 to 1994, but the bulk of the material is from 1868 to 1900. The collection includes examples of her work from her early days in art school until the very end of her career.

The majority of the correspondence is written by Kate Greenaway herself, with three exceptions, those being letters written by John Ruskin, Alfred John Greenaway, and Frederick Locker-Lampson. A number of letters are addressed to Pulitzer-Prize winner and editor of the Ladies Home Journal Edward William Bok. Artwork and ephemera make up the bulk of the collection. The artwork consists mainly of original artwork for Queen of the Pirate Isle and Little Folks. The ephemera is mostly printed greeting cards with her illustrations and some verses. The post-lifetime ephemera series consists of documentation on different exhibits relating to Kate Greenaway, exhibition catalogs, and reprinted photographs. Of particular interest are 2 boxes of 126 lantern slides that show examples of her work.

This collection is arranged into four series: I. Correspondence; II. Artwork; III. Ephemera; IV. Post-lifetime ephemera. Series I. Correspondence is arranged alphabetically and then chronologically. Series II-IV are arranged chronologically, with undated materials placed at the end of the series.

Publication Information:

Free Library of Philadelphia: Rare Book Department

Finding Aid Author:

Finding aid prepared by Garrett Boos

Sponsor:

The cataloging of this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources’ “Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives” Project.

Access Restrictions:

This collection is open for research use.

Use Restrictions:

The right of access to material does not imply the right of publication. Permission for reprinting, reproduction, or extensive quotation from the rare books, manuscripts, prints, or drawings must be obtained through written application, stating the use to be made of the material. The reader bears the responsibility for any possible infringement of copyright laws in the publication of such material. A reproduction fee will be charged if the material is to be reproduced in a commercial publication.

Processing Information:

This finding aid was entered into AT by Garrett Boos from legacy data compiled by the Rare Book Department. Each item was examined and description enhanced and standardized where necessary.

Immediate Source of Acquisition:

The majority of this collection was purchased by the Free Library from dealers, with a few materials given to the Free Library by various donors.

The University of Southern Mississippi: Kate Greenaway Papers, 1868-1969, DG0391.

University of Minnesota: Kate Greenaway Papers, 1878-1884, CLRC-946.

Detroit Public Library: Burton Historical Collection.

Carnegie Mellon University Libraries: Frances Hooper Kate Greenaway Collection.

• Correspondence
• Drawings (visual works)
• Ephemera
• Greeting cards
• Illustrations
• Proofs (printed matter)
• Sketches
• Watercolors (paintings)

• Bok, Edward William, 1863-1930
• Greenaway, Kate, 1846-1901
• Ponsonby, Maria, Lady
• Ruskin, John, 1819-1900
• Spielmann, M. H. (Mabel Henrietta), 1862-1938

• Children's authors--19th century
• Children's literature--19th century
• Illustrated children's books--19th century
• Illustration of books--19th century