Eleanor Frances Lattimore
Encyclopedia
Eleanor Frances Lattimore (June 30, 1904, Shanghai
, China
– May 12, 1986, Raleigh
, North Carolina
) was an American
author and illustrator born in what was called the American Compound
in Shanghai
and raised in China
where her father, David Lattimore, taught English at a Chinese government university. She was the sister of poet and classics translator Richmond Lattimore
and China expert Owen Lattimore
.
Lattimore came to the United States
in 1920 after her father became a professor of Chinese Studies at Dartmouth College
. She studied art
in Oakland, California
, Boston
, and New York City
and worked for several years as a freelance artist. But she became known as the author and illustrator of more than fifty popular children's books. A number of her stories are based on her experiences growing up in China. Her first book, Little Pear, is considered a children's classic.
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
– May 12, 1986, Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author and illustrator born in what was called the American Compound
Shanghai International Settlement
The Shanghai International Settlement began originally as a purely British settlement. It was one of the original five treaty ports which were established under the terms of the Treaty of Nanking at the end of the first opium war in the year 1842...
in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
and raised in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
where her father, David Lattimore, taught English at a Chinese government university. She was the sister of poet and classics translator Richmond Lattimore
Richmond Lattimore
Richmond Alexander Lattimore was an American poet and translator known for his translations of the Greek classics, especially his versions of the Iliad and Odyssey, which are generally considered as among the best English translations available.Born to David and Margaret Barnes Lattimore in...
and China expert Owen Lattimore
Owen Lattimore
Owen Lattimore was an American author, educator, and influential scholar of Central Asia, especially Mongolia. In the 1930s he was editor of Pacific Affairs, a journal published by the Institute of Pacific Relations, and then taught at Johns Hopkins University from 1938 to 1963...
.
Lattimore came to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1920 after her father became a professor of Chinese Studies at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
. She studied art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
in Oakland, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and worked for several years as a freelance artist. But she became known as the author and illustrator of more than fifty popular children's books. A number of her stories are based on her experiences growing up in China. Her first book, Little Pear, is considered a children's classic.
Selected publications
- 1944: The Making of Modern China: a short history. New York: W. W. Norton, 1944. Reprinted:- Washington, DC: Infantry Journal, 1944.
- 1947: China: a short history. New York: W. W. Norton, New and rev., 1947.
- 1968: Silks, Spices, and Empire: Asia seen through the eyes of its discoverers. New York: Delacorte, 1968.