The Beulah Campbell Collection
of
Children's Literature Illustrations

Catherine Pinson

Since before the days of tonsured monks sitting in a monastery illuminating letters of the Bible, illustration has been an integral part of literature. This is even more true in children's literature, where the illustrations enhance the text and entice the readers to ever-further flights of fancy.

It is only in the past few years that illustrations have gained stature as works of art in their own right. Before the present day, there were many stories of illustrators painting over their canvases after the paintings were duplicated by the publisher; the "job" of the painting was finished, and canvas was expensive. The work itself was seen as nothing more than a means to an end, rather than an end in itself.

Beulah Campbell, retired Children's Literature professor at Appalachian State University, has been fighting this viewpoint for many years. In her travels she made the acquaintance of many illustrators, and purchased many of their works. Other pieces were given to her as gifts. The result, the Beulah Campbell Collection of Children's Literature Illustrations, has a depth and breadth that is absent from many other such collections. Ranging from the 1930s to the present day and including such diverse artists as James Daugherty, Symeon Shimin, Glen Rounds, Hardie Gramatky, Gail Haley, Robert Quackenbush, and Eric Carle, the collection shows a range that gives a mini-course in printmaking techniques and methodology in addition to illustrative styles.

We invite you to join us in this exploration of the world of children's literature in the Beulah Campbell Collection of Children's Literature Illustrations.

Links:
 Artist Index  |  Author Index  |  Decade Index