Catherine Greenaway known as Kate Greenaway, was an English

English people

The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

 children's book illustrator

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...

 and writer, who spent much of her childhood at Rolleston, Nottinghamshire

Rolleston, Nottinghamshire

Rolleston is a small village in Nottinghamshire by the River Greet , a few miles from Southwell not far from the Trent and about southwest of Newark. It has a church dedicated to the Holy Trinity...

. She studied at what is now the Royal College of Art

Royal College of Art

The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...

 in London, which at that time had a separate section for women, and was headed by Richard Burchett

Richard Burchett

Richard Burchett was a British artist and educator on the fringes of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, who was for over twenty years the Headmaster of what later became the Royal College of Art....

. Her first book, Under the Window

Under the Window

Under the Window: Pictures & Rhymes for Children was Kate Greenaway's first children's picture book, composed of her own verses and illustrations...

 (1879), a collection of simple, perfectly idyll

Idyll

An idyll or idyl is a short poem, descriptive of rustic life, written in the style of Theocritus' short pastoral poems, the Idylls....

ic verses about children, was a bestseller.

Greenaway's paintings were reproduced by chromoxylography

Chromoxylography

Chromoxylography was a colour woodblock printing process popular from the mid 19th to the early 20th century, commonly used to produce illustrations in children's books, serial pulp magazine such as mysteries and romances, and cover art for yellow-backs and penny dreadfuls.In the 19th century...

, by which the colours were printed from hand-engraved wood blocks by the firm of Edmund Evans

Edmund Evans

Edmund Evans was a prominent English wood engraver and colour printer during the Victorian era. Evans specialized in full-colour printing, which became popular in the mid-19th century...

. Through the 1880s and 1890s, her only rivals in popularity in children's book illustration

Book illustration

The book illustration is specific type of illustration, which appears in books. Some of modern illustrations are performed by American Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators....

 were Walter Crane

Walter Crane

Walter Crane was an English artist and book illustrator. He is considered to be the most prolific and influential children’s book creator of his generation and, along with Randolph Caldecott and Kate Greenaway, one of the strongest contributors to the child's nursery motif that the genre of...

 and Randolph Caldecott

Randolph Caldecott

Randolph Caldecott was a British artist and illustrator, born in Chester. The Caldecott Medal was named in his honor. He exercised his art chiefly in book illustrations. His abilities as an artist were promptly and generously recognized by the Royal Academy. Caldecott greatly influenced...

.

"Kate Greenaway" children, all of them little girls and boys too young to be put in trousers, according to the conventions of the time, were dressed in her own versions of late eighteenth century and Regency fashions: smock-frock

Smock-frock

A smock-frock or smock is an outer garment traditionally worn by rural workers, especially shepherds and waggoners, in parts of England and Wales from the early eighteenth century...

s and skeleton suit

Skeleton suit

A skeleton suit is an outfit of clothing for small boys, popular from about 1790 to 1830, consisting of a tight short- or long-sleeved coat or jacket buttoned to a pair of high-waisted trousers. Skeleton suits are often described as one of the earliest fashions to be specifically tailored for...

s for boys, high-waisted pinafores and dresses with mobcaps and straw bonnet

Bonnet (headgear)

Bonnets are a variety of headgear for both sexes, which have in common only the absence of a brim. Bonnet derives from the same word in French, where it originally indicated a type of material...

s for girls. The influence of children's clothes in portraits by British painter John Hoppner

John Hoppner

John Hoppner was an English portrait painter, .-Early life:Hoppner was born in Whitechapel, London, the son of German parents - his mother was one of the German attendants at the royal palace. King George's fatherly interest and patronage of the young boy gave rise to rumours, quite unfounded,...

 (1758–1810) may have provided her some inspiration. Liberty of London

Liberty (department store)

Liberty is a long-established department store in Regent Street in Central London, England, in the West End shopping district.-Early years:...

 adapted Kate Greenaway's drawings as designs for actual children's clothes. A full generation of mothers in the liberal-minded "artistic" British circles who called themselves "The Souls

The Souls

The Souls were a small, loosely-knit but distinctive social group in England, from 1885 to about 1920. Their members included many of the most distinguished English politicians and intellectuals....

" and embraced the Arts and Crafts movement

Arts and Crafts movement

Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...

 dressed their daughters in Kate Greenaway pantaloons and bonnets in the 1880s and 1890s.

Greenaway was elected to membership of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours

Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours

The Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours , initially called the New Society of Painters in Water Colours, , is one of the societies in the Federation of British Artists, based in the Mall Galleries in London.-History:In 1831 the society was founded as the New Society of Painters in Water...

 in 1889. She lived in an Arts and Crafts style house she commissioned from Richard Norman Shaw

Richard Norman Shaw

Richard Norman Shaw RA , was an influential Scottish architect from the 1870s to the 1900s, known for his country houses and for commercial buildings.-Life:...

 in Frognal

Frognal

Frognal is an affluent area in North West London in the London Borough of Camden between Hampstead and West Hampstead. Frognal is also the name of the major road in the area.-History:...

, London, although she spent summers in Rolleston, near Southwell

Southwell, Nottinghamshire

Southwell is a town in Nottinghamshire, England, best known as the site of Southwell Minster, the seat of the Church of England diocese that covers Nottinghamshire...

.

Greenaway died of breast cancer

Breast cancer

Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...

 in 1901 at the age of 55. She is buried in Hampstead Cemetery

Hampstead Cemetery

Hampstead Cemetery is a historic cemetery in West Hampstead, London, located at the upper extremity of the NW6 district. Despite the name, the cemetery is three-quarters of a mile from Hampstead Village, and bears a different postcode...

, London. The Kate Greenaway Medal

Kate Greenaway Medal

The Kate Greenaway Medal was established in the United Kingdom in 1955 in honour of the children's illustrator, Kate Greenaway. The medal is given annually to an outstanding work of illustration in children's literature. It is awarded by Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...

, established in her honour in 1955, is awarded annually by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals

Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals

The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals is a professional body representing librarians and other information professionals in the United Kingdom.-History:...

 in the UK to an illustrator of children's books.

Books Illustrated

• Kingston, William, Infant Amusements, or How to Make a Nursery Happy, 1867.
• Aulnoy, Marie, Madame D’Aulnoy’s Fairy Tales, 9 v., Gall and Inglis, 1871.
• Aunt Louisa’s London Toy Books: Diamonds and Toads, Warne, 1871.
• Jeune, Margaret S., My School Days in Paris, London, Griffith and Farran, 1871.
• Knox, Kathleen, Fairy Gifts; or, A Wallet of Wonders, Griffith & Farran, 1874.
• Aunt Cae, The Children of the Parsonage, Griffith & Farran, 1874.
• Mulholland, Rosa, Puck and Blossom, Marcus Ward, 1874.
• Hill, Miranda, The Fairy Spinner, Marcus Ward, 1874.
• Jerrold, Alice, A Cruise in the Acorn, London, Marcus Ward, 1875.
• Clark, Mary Senior, Turnaside Cottage, London, Marcus Ward, 1875.
• Potter, Frederick Scarlett, Melcomb Manor: A Family Chronicle, London, Marcus Ward, 1875.
• Children’s Songs, London, Marcus Ward, c. 1875.
• Knox, Kathleen, Seven Birthdays; or, The Children of Fortune, Griffith & Farran, 1875.
• 'Quiver of Love, a Collection of Valentines' (with Walter Crane), Marcus Ward, 1876.
• LaBlanche, Fanny, Starlight Stories Told to Bright Eyes and Listening Ears, Griffith & Farran, 1877.
• Russell, Rutherford, Tom Seven Years Old, London, Marcus Ward, 1877.
• Hunt, Mrs. Bonavia, Poor Nelly, London, Cassell, Petter, Gilpin, 1878.
• Campbell, Lady Colin, Topo: A Tale About English Children in Italy, Marcus Ward, 1878.
• Yonge, Charlotte Mary, Heartsease; or The Brother’s Wife, Macmillan, 1879.
• Yonge, Charlotte Mary, The Heir of Redclyffe, Macmillan, 1879.
• Pollock, Walter Herries, Amateur Theatricals, London, Macmillan, 1879.
• Toyland, Trot’s Journey and Other Poems and Stories, New York, R. Worthington, c. 1879
• Weatherly, George, The “Little Folks” Painting Book, Cassell, Petter, Gilpin, 1879.
• Weatherly, George, The “Little Folks” Nature Painting Book, Cassell, Petter, Gilpin 1879.
• A Favorite Album of Fun and Fancy, London, Cassell, Petter, Gilpin, c. 1879.
• Haile, Ellen, Three Brown Boys and Other Happy Children, New York, Cassell & Co., c. 1879.
• Haile, Ellen, The Two Gray Girls and Their Opposite Neighbours, New York, Cassell & Co., c. 1879.
• Under the Window, London, George Routledge, 1879. Engraved and colour printed by Edmund Evans.
• Barker, Mrs. Sale, Kate Greenaway's Birthday Book, London, George Routledge, 1880. Engraved and colour printed by Edmund Evans.
• Freddie’s Letter: Stories For Little People, London, Routledge, 1880.
• The Old Farm Gate, London, George Routledge, c. 1880.
• Lang, Andrew, The Library, London, Macmillan and Company, 1881.
• Locker, Frederick, London Lyrics, London, Macmillan and Company, 1881.
• Mother Goose; or, The Old Nursery Rhymes, London, Routledge, 1881. Engraved and colour printed by Edmund Evans.
• Foster, Myles Burkett, A Day in a Child’s Life, London, Routledge, 1882. Engraved and colour printed by Edmund Evans.
• Ranking, Montgomerie and Tully, Thomas K., Flowers and Fancies; Valentines Ancient and Modern, Marcus Ward, 1882.
• Weatherly, F. E., The Illustrated Children’s Birthday Book (with others), London, W. Mack, 1882.
• Taylor, Ann and Jane, Little Ann and Other Poems, London, Routledge, 1883. Engraved and colour printed by Edmund Evans.
• Zimmern, Helen, Tales from the Edda, London, Sonnenschein, 1883.
• Language of Flowers, London, Routledge, 1884. Engraved and colour printed by Edmund Evans.
• A Painting Book By Kate Greenaway, London, George Routledge, 1884. Engraved and colour printed by Edmund Evans.
• Ellice, Robert, compiler, Songs for the Nursery: A Collection of Children’s Poems, Old and New, W. Mack, 1884.
• Kate Greenaway’s Christmas Carols, London: George Routledge, c. 1884.
• Kate Greenaway's Alphabet, London, Routledge, 1885. Engraved and colour printed by Edmund Evans.
• Kate Greenaway's Album, London, Routledge, c. 1885. Engraved and colour printed by Edmund Evans. (only eight copies were printed)
• Marigold Garden: Pictures and Rhymes, London, Routledge, 1885. Engraved and colour printed by Edmund Evans.
• Mavor, William, English Spelling Book, London, Routledge, 1885. Engraved and colour printed by Edmund Evans.
• Ruskin, John, editor, 'Dame Wiggins of Lee and Her Seven Wonderful Cats, London, George Allen, 1885.
• A Apple Pie: An Old-Fashioned Alphabet Book, London, Routledge, 1886. Engraved and colour printed by Edmund Evans.
• Harte, Bret, The Queen of the Pirate Isle, Chatto & Windus, 1886. Engraved and colour printed by Edmund Evans.
• Baby’s Birthday Book, London, Marcus Ward, 1886.
• Allingham, William, Rhymes for the Young Folk, Cassell and Co., 1887. Engraved and colour printed by Edmund Evans.
• Queen Victoria’s Jubilee Garland, London, George Routledge, 1887. Engraved and colour printed by Edmund Evans.
• Browning, Robert, The Pied Piper of Hamelin, London, Routledge, 1888. Engraved and colour printed by Edmund Evans.
• Around the House, New York, Worthington, 1888.
• Kate Greenaway’s Book of Games, London, Routledge, 1889. Engraved and colour printed by Edmund Evans.
• Cresswell, Beatrice F. , The Royal Progress of King Pepito, London, Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1889. Engraved and colour printed by Edmund Evans.
• Arnim, Mary Annette, The April Baby’s Book of Tunes, London and New York, Macmillan, 1900. The first use of color-lithography on any of Kate’s Books.
• Spielmann, Mabel H., Littledom Castle and Other Tales (with others), London, George Routledge, 1903.
• Dobson, Austin, De Libris Prose and Verse (with others), London, Macmillan, 1908, 1911.
• Almanack, London, Routledge,1883-1895. Engraved and colour printed by Edmund Evans.

External links

• Kate Greenaway's books, full-text searchable with all images from the Baldwin Library of Historical Children's Literature Digital Collection at the University of Florida
  University of Florida
  The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
  
   Libraries
• Kate Greenaway highlights from the Drummond Collection at The University of Southern Mississippi
  The University of Southern Mississippi
  The University of Southern Mississippi, informally known as Southern Miss, is a large public research university located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, United States. It is situated north of Gulfport, Mississippi and northeast of New Orleans, Louisiana...
  
   library
• Full life story and Complete Biography of Kate Greenaway at Archive.Org/Downloadable ebook
• Catherine ' Kate ' Greenaway,Paintings,Portraits,Book Covers,Illustrations