Elvira Garner
Encyclopedia
Elvira Garner was a 20th century Florida author and watercolor illustrator
. Her best-known children's book Ezekiel, published by Henry Holt
in 1937, detailed the story of a black boy who lived in Sanford, Florida
with his Mammy, Pappy and sister Emancipation. Emblematic of Florida when it was part of the Deep South
, Ezekiel was written in African-American dialect
, it was popular in its time, but fell out of favor when books like Little Black Sambo
were labeled racist. Now highly collected as an artifact of black Americana and African American fiction. Ezekiel's type was drawn, with illustrations inserted into the type.
In 1939, this Sanford, Florida native published Sarah Faith Anderson, Her Book, which detailed life in St. Augustine of a girl whose father was a missionary to the Seminoles, captured the feeling of 19th century Florida in words and illustrations. And in 1941, she published Way Down in Tennessee .
Her son is NASA
scientist Douglas Garner.
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
. Her best-known children's book Ezekiel, published by Henry Holt
Henry Holt and Company
Henry Holt and Company is an American book publishing company. One of the oldest publishers in the United States, it was founded in 1866 by Henry Holt and Frederick Leypoldt...
in 1937, detailed the story of a black boy who lived in Sanford, Florida
Sanford, Florida
Sanford is a city in, and the county seat of, Seminole County, Florida, United States. The population was 38,291 at the 2000 census. As of 2009, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 50,998...
with his Mammy, Pappy and sister Emancipation. Emblematic of Florida when it was part of the Deep South
Deep South
The Deep South is a descriptive category of the cultural and geographic subregions in the American South. Historically, it is differentiated from the "Upper South" as being the states which were most dependent on plantation type agriculture during the pre-Civil War period...
, Ezekiel was written in African-American dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
, it was popular in its time, but fell out of favor when books like Little Black Sambo
Little Black Sambo
The Story of Little Black Sambo is a children's book written and illustrated by Helen Bannerman, and first published by Grant Richards in October 1899 as one in a series of small-format books called The Dumpy Books for Children....
were labeled racist. Now highly collected as an artifact of black Americana and African American fiction. Ezekiel's type was drawn, with illustrations inserted into the type.
In 1939, this Sanford, Florida native published Sarah Faith Anderson, Her Book, which detailed life in St. Augustine of a girl whose father was a missionary to the Seminoles, captured the feeling of 19th century Florida in words and illustrations. And in 1941, she published Way Down in Tennessee .
Her son is NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
scientist Douglas Garner.