"A Warm and Creative Homemaker"
"A warm and creative homemaker, Eloise shared with the world glimpses of her big, busy, welcoming household, its rooms papered with gentle patterns, its drop-leaf tables and rocking chairs aglow with hand-rubbed sheen, its four-poster beds covered by hand-stitched quilts. A devoutly religious person, she shared ever so gently her values, her sense of the beauty of order and love, of implicit self-discipline, and of regard for others . . . she has left us, only slightly idealized, rich reminders of a lovely time not very long ago."
--Jane Werner Watson, Eloise Wilkin Stories, afterword
12 comments:
I love Eloise Wilkin. My mother bought me a golden book every week from the supermarket when I was growing up. It was only when I was older that I realised all of my treasured ones, were the ones she illustrated. Earlier this year on holidays with my family I found Eloise Wilkin Stories (Little Golden Book Treasury). I snatched it up a purchased it for myself without a second thought. I love the little children's eyes in the pictures, and sometimes when I look into my son's they are the same. Beautiful, big and wondering. As though I have known him forever.
What a great quote.
I am sure there are a lot of "Pleasant View" towns but we have one right here in the state that we just moved into. We are buying a 1914 Farm House not to far from it. The little town makes me think of you and all of your sons pictures. --The town just a little ways from Pleasant View is the town we are moving to. It has a small old schoolhouse that needs to be restored. When I see it I think of all the TLC your family has put into your home over the years.
I have now been reading your blog since one of the very beginning post. That is a long time. I have enjoyed watching your family grow. But, I have only commented a little.
Blessings!
What a wonderful quote. I have always loved Eloise Wilkin's art and felt very sure that she was depicting her own world in her work. Thank you so much for sharing this!
I have been collecting her books since my children were small. She has the most beautiful illustrations!
I think Jewel's children look like Eloise Wilkins illustrations : )
http://eyesofwonder.typepad.com
Deb meyers
I too love Eloise Wilkin's illustrations. I have a small collection of her Little Golden Books but We Help Mummy is my favourite.
Anna, I feel that we are kindred spirits! Almost every time you mention a favorite of yours, it is also one of mine. My children and I have long loved the Eloise Wilkin storybooks and even though my youngest is 12, we still look through some poetry books with her illustrations. Do you like Tasha Tudor? Do you read the Betsy-Tacy's to your girls? I had not read any Grace Livingston Hill until you mentioned her, so thank you for sharing. I like the Gladys Taber Stillmeadow Books (nonfiction) in that they follow the rhythm of nature and she mentions lots of cooking and gardening ideas.
Reading the comments reminded me of Grace Livingston Hill. I'd forgotten about her books, but read all of them, some more than once, in my teens. I loved the feeling she gave me that all would work out in the end.
Like many above, I am an Eloise Wilkin fan. In fact, I have done a good bit of research about her life for an article I'm working on, and I've been in contact via letter with her daughter Deborah Wilkin Springett. Through her I purchased a book that she (Deborah) wrote about her mother's life called 'The Golden Year of Eloise Wilkin'. It's a great read for any who love Mrs. Wilkin's gentle and old fashioned art!
I'm so glad you shared this!
Take care,
Amy
Oops...that should've been "The Golden Years of Eloise Wilkin."
Oh!! A big thank you for posting this! I didn't know this book existed. Now I know what I want for my 43rd birthday next month. You are never too old for a children's book with excellent illustrations. I only find an Eloise Wilkin book about every two years when I'm thrifting. Her illustrations even inspire my simple home decor.
Annie
My daughter just forwarded me this post of yours after reading my post about Eloise Wilkin. After all these years of thinking I was the only one in the world who ever noticed her lovely illustrations (arrogant?!), it's so nice to know someone else was so touched by her beautiful work as well.
Georganna
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