Walter Crane, 1892
Neptune's Horses, detail
Walter Crane (1845-1915) was a Victorian illustrator who designed some of the first colored picture books for children. His series of "Toy Books" were cheap and mass-produced like "Little Golden Books" are now, but with a high level of craftsmanship. Crane believed the child's early mind should be stimulated with color and symbolic imagery, and he made this interesting remark:
Children, like the ancient Egyptians, appear to see most things in profile and like definite statements in design. They prefer well-defined forms and bright, frank color. They don't want to bother with three dimensions and can accept symbolic representations.
Children, like the ancient Egyptians, appear to see most things in profile and like definite statements in design. They prefer well-defined forms and bright, frank color. They don't want to bother with three dimensions and can accept symbolic representations.
Crane developed fifty books in his "Toy" series, becoming the most popular books of the time and raising the standards for children's literature to follow.
Aesop's Fables (1887) is a good example.
"Beware of over-rating your own powers"
"The grapes of disappointment are always sour"
"Laziness is its own punishment"
"Beware how you entertain traitors"
"Greed is sometimes caught by its own bait"
"You cannot hope to please all-- don't try."
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