Aesop (Sámos, Greece, about 620 BCE - 564 BCE)
The Fables of Aesop and Others, with Designs on Wood, by Thomas Bewick, 1823
Printed ink on paper, 22 x 14 x 3.5 cm (8 11/16 x 5 1/2 x 1 3/8 in.)
Macknight Room
Commentary
Isabella Stewart Gardner was a voracious reader, and books were the first objects that she collected. Of the 2700 books she acquired for her museum, about 120 can be considered children's books.
Thomas Bewick was the first important name in the history of illustrated children’s books and set the standard for quality. Although not composed for children, these fables have always been popular with them. This collection (1818) with text written in 1722 by Samuel Croxall, is dedicated to “the youth of the British Isles.”
Thomas Bewick was the first important name in the history of illustrated children’s books and set the standard for quality. Although not composed for children, these fables have always been popular with them. This collection (1818) with text written in 1722 by Samuel Croxall, is dedicated to “the youth of the British Isles.”