May Day
Maker
Kate Greenaway
(British, 1846-1901)
Collections
ClassificationsDRAWINGS
Dateca. 1890
Mediumpen and brown ink, watercolor and graphite pencil on wover paper
Dimensions7 x 11 5/8 in. (17.8 x 29.5 cm.)
SignedSignature; with initials: KG
Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Purchased with funds from the Statch Memorial Fund
Label TextThe high-waisted dresses, skeleton suits, and smock frocks worn by the young women and children gathering flowers in this image evoke the Britain of the late eighteenth century, a hundred years earlier than the watercolor was made. One of the best-known illustrators of children's books, Kate Greenaway became famous for her sweet images of childhood set in an idealized past. Her consciously quaint illustrations speak to the nostalgia that naturally gets attached to children's literature, where the story often takes place "once upon a time." As in this drawing, she often employs a muted rosy green color scheme to enhance the feeling of reverie.Status
Not on viewObject number73.15
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