Early in his career, Roger Duvoisin arranged and illustrated two editions of Mother Goose, both published by The Heritage Press, New York, with text and foreword by William Rose Benét. The first and more noteworthy edition, published in 1936, was a large-format book with brightly colored and black and white illustrations.
Duvoisin, born, educated and trained as a designer in Geneva, Switzerland, brought to American children's book illustration a modern sensibility developed while he was a fabric and theatrical set designer in France. Pure, flowing colors and seemingly spontaneous designs reveal the sophistication of Duvoisin's choice of an overall childlike look for his illustrations. His lively page designs float on the white space of the page, and the art often flows around the text. Hand-painted titles enhance the feeling of informality. The effect is reminiscent of pages of an album, rather than a compendium of traditional texts.
Mother Goose: A Comprehensive Collection of the Rhymes.
Edited by William Rose Benét.
New York: The Heritage Press, 1936
Illustration for the title page
Gouache and ink on paper
13 x 10 inches
Gift of Louise Fatio Duvoisin
1986.1191.001
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