Summary Information
University of
Minnesota Libraries Children's Literature Research
Collections [clrc]
Erickson,
Phoebe
Phoebe Erickson
Papers
1946-1965
CLRC-89
Phoebe Erickson's papers
focus on her work as an author and illustrator of children's picture books. The
collection contains production material for twenty-three titles published
between 1946 and 1965, as well as illustrations for four titles published in
four different volumes of Doubleday's The Best in
Children's Books. The collection contains both manuscript and
illustrative material and includes corrected typescripts and galley proofs,
dummies, clippings, some correspondence, illustrations done in a variety of
media (some with separations), sketches and studies, proofs, separations and a
layout. There is also art work for an article published in
Lore magazine, and some miscellaneous art work
including designs for record covers, layouts, sketches, and a proof.
See Detailed Descriptions for Each Title Item
for Box Locations
English
Important Information for Users of the Collections
Access and Use:
Collection is open for researchers with no restrictions. Registration
with the collection is required.
Copyright:
This collection is protected by the Copyright Law of the United
States (Title 17, U.S. Code). It is the user's responsibility to verify
copyright ownership and to obtain all necessary permissions prior to the
reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials.
Processing Information
This collection was processed with financial assistance from the
National Endowment for the Humanities.
Biographical
Sketch
Phoebe Erickson was born November 23, 1907 in North Bay, Wisconsin.
She grew up on a farm where the love of animals and nature would serve as
inspirations for many of her illustrations and stories. Phoebe Erickson
attended the Chicago Art Institute from 1931-1933 and studied at Columbia
University in New York. She began writing and illustrating children's books in
the 1940s, publishing Black Penny, a story of a
young girl and a horse, in 1946. Phoebe Erickson also illustrated a number of
other authors' work, including several of Thornton Burgess' animal stories for
young children, Anna Sewell's classic Black Beauty
and Felix Salten's Bambi's Children. Phoebe
Erickson worked in a variety of media and her illustrations are noted for the
accurate detail and loving depictions of animals and nature. While she wrote
and illustrated primarily to entertain and interest young readers, Phoebe
Erickson believed that her books conveyed a message that could be felt by
children, such as the cruelty of steel traps evident in Daniel 'Coon, and that they could understand this best
when the message isn't forced or blatant. Phoebe Erickson also believed that
young readers want characters in books, especially the children, to be
realistic not "goody-goodies" so they can identify with them and their
problems. Her stories try to convey these beliefs along with her respect for
nature and all life, and that caring for any creature demands responsibility
and respect.
Scope and Content
The collection contains production material for twenty-three titles
published between 1946 and 1965, as well as illustrative material for four
titles published in four different volumes of Doubleday's The Best in Children's Books. The collection includes
both manuscript and illustrative material, with an emphasis on the latter. The
collection contains corrected typescripts and galley proofs, dummies,
clippings, and some correspondence, illustrations done in a variety of media
(some with separations), sketches, studies, proofs, separations, and a layout.
There is also some miscellaneous art work, including some done for an article
in Lore magazine, designs for record covers, and
layouts, sketches, and a proof.
Indexing Terms
The collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog
of the University of Minnesota Libraries. Researchers desiring materials about
related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these
headings.
Erickson,
Phoebe
Accession Information:
Part of this collection was originally given to Dr. Irvin Kerlan, who
in turn donated his collection to the University of Minnesota. During the
1960s-1990s, additional material was added by Phoebe Erickson.
Gift of:
Erickson, Phoebe
Arrangement
Baby Animal
Friends, 1954
Baby Animal Stories, 1949
Bambi's Children, 1950
Black Beauty, 1949
Black Penny, 1946
Cattail House, 1949
Daniel 'Coon, 1954
Double or Nothing, 1958
Holiday Storybook, 1958
Just Follow Me, 1960
Lad and Other Sunnybank Dogs, 1959
Lassie Come Home, 1958
Little Peter Cottontail, 1956
Littlest Reindeer, 1946
Nature Almanac, 1949
Peter Rabbit, Henny Penny, and The City Mouse, 1947
Raggedy Man, 1959
Read-Aloud Nursery Tales, 1957
Sea Shells, 1953
Shire Colt, 1958
Shy Little Horse and Other Stories, 1947
Skaters,
Slip, The Story of a Little Fox, 1948
True Book of Animals of Small Pond, 1953
Ugly Duckling, 1946
Uncle Debunkel: Or, The Barely Believable Bear, 1964
Who's in the Mirror?, 1965
Wildwing, 1959
Black Penny, 1979
Lore [magazine], 1955
Miscellaneous Art,
Collection Contents
Baby Animal Friends
1954
M. C. 1499
Watercolor illustrations
5 p.
Baby Animal Stories
1949
M. C. 1499
Ink illustration
1 p.
M. C. 1499
Watercolor illustrations
2 p.
M. C. 1499
Proof
1 p.
Bambi's Children
1950
M. C. 1499
Pencil illustrations
19 p.
M. C. 1499
Watercolor illustrations
9 p.
M. C. 1499
Watercolor study
1 p.
Black Beauty
1949
M. C. 1495
Ink illustrations
2 p.
M.C. 1495
Illustration proof
2 sheets
M. C. 1495
Black & white pencil & watercolor
illustrations
13 p.
M. C. 1495
Scratchboard illustrations
15 p.
Black Penny
1946
M. F. 1480
Typescript, corrected
176 p.
M. F. 1480
Galley proof
48 p.
M. C. 1496
Watercolor study for jacket
1 p.
M. C. 1496
Pencil sketch for cover
1 p.
M. C. 1496
Pencil dummy with text proof
184 p.
Cattail House
1949
M. C. 1496
Pencil dummy with text proof
36 p.
M. C. 1496
Proof sheet
1 p.
M. C. 1496
Black & white watercolor illustrations
14 p.
Daniel 'Coon
1954
M. F. 292
Typescript, corrected
150 p.
M. C. 1495
Galley proof
46 p.
M. F. 1495
Proof sheets
2 p.
M. C. S 91
Pencil dummy with text proof
185 p.
M. C. S 91
Ink illustrations with text proof for cover
2 p.
M. C. S 91
Pencil illustration with 1 separation for
jacket
1 p.
M. C. S 91
Pencil illustration with text proof
1 p.
M. C. S 91
Pencil illustrations
40 p.
M. C. S 91
Pencil & watercolor study for jacket
1 p.
M. C. S 91
Pencil sketch
1 p.
M. C. S 91
Preliminary silk screen prints
2 p.
M. C. S 91
Pencil illustrations on acetate
2 p.
Double or Nothing
1958
M. F. 293
Typescript, corrected
74 p.
M. F. 293
Jacket layout
1 p.
M. C. 1496
Ink illustrations
27 p.
M. C. 1496
Ink sketches
5 p.
M. C. 1496
Color separation for jacket
1 p.
Holiday Storybook
1958
M. C. 1496
Pencil illustrations
5 p.
Just Follow Me
1960
M. C. 1496
Pencil dummy with holograph
28 p.
M. C. 1496
Watercolor study for jacket
1 p.
M. C. 1496
Sheet of watercolor sketches
1 p.
Lad and Other Sunnybank Dogs
1959
M. C. 1499
Ink illustrations
12 p.
Lassie Come Home
1958
M. C. 1496
Watercolor illustrations
3 p.
Little Peter Cottontail
1956
M. C. 1496
Watercolor illustration
1 p.
Littlest Reindeer
1946
M. C. 1496
Watercolor illustration for endpaper
1 p.
Nature Almanac
1949
M. C. 1496
Watercolor illustration
1 p.
Peter Rabbit, Henny Penny, and The City Mouse
1947
M. C. 1496
Ink illustrations
2 p.
M. C. 1496
Watercolor illustration
1 p.
M. C. 1496
Ink sketch
1 p.
Raggedy Man
1959
M. C. 1499
Watercolor illustration
1 p.
Read-Aloud Nursery Tales
1957
M. C. 1496
Watercolor study for jacket
1 p.
Sea Shells
1953
M. C. 1499
Scratchboard illustrations [some with text
proof]
62 p.
Shire Colt
1958
M. C. 1496
Ink illustrations
5 p.
Shy Little Horse and Other Stories
1947
M. C. 1496
Pencil & watercolor sketch for cover
1 p.
Skaters
M. C. 1295
Color photocopy of watercolor
1 p.
Slip, The Story of a Little Fox
1948
M. C. 1496
Typescript, corrected
10 p.
M. C. 1496
Watercolor illustrations
8 p.
M. C. 1496
Proof for jacket
1 p.
M. C. 1496
Dummy in pencil
1 p.
True Book of Animals of Small Pond
1953
M. F. 1480
Typescript, corrected
31 p.
M. C. 1496
Black & white gouache illustrations
12 p.
M. C. 1496
Watercolor illustrations
12 p.
M. C. 1496
Watercolor illustration for dust jacket
1 p.
Ugly Duckling
1946
M. C. 1496
Watercolor illustrations
5 p.
Uncle Debunkel: Or, The Barely Believable Bear
1964
M. F. 293
Typescript, corrected
7 p.
M. F. 293
Galley proof, corrected
10 p.
M. C. 1495
Ink illustrations with 1 separation
27 p.
M. C. 1495
Ink line illustrations
4 p.
M. C. 1495
Pencil & ink dummy
1 p.
M. C. 1495
Pencil & ink dummy with text proof [working
dummy]
1 p.
Who's in the Mirror?
1965
M. F. 1480
Typescript
5 p.
M. F. 1480
Galley proof
3 p.
M. F. 1480
Dummy
20 p.
M. C. 1499
Pencil illustration with 1 separation for
jacket
1 p.
M. C. 1499
Groups of 3 color separations for
illustrations
16 p.
M. C. 1499
Groups of 2 color separations for
illustrations
6 p.
Wildwing
1959
M. F. 1480
Typescript, corrected
112 p.
M. F. 1480
Correspondence
14 p.
M. F. 1480
Clippings
4 p.
M. F. 1480
Publisher's dummy
6 p.
M. C. 1499
Preliminary silk screen print
1 p.
M. C. 1499
Ink illustrations
14 p.
M. C. 1499
Pencil sketch
1 p.
Black Penny
1979
Capital City Press, 1979
M. C. 1317
Printed black & white illustrations
17 p.
M. C. 1317
Printed black & white greeting card
1 p.
M. C. 1317
Pamphlets
2 p.
Lore [magazine]
1955
M. C. 1496
Black & white illustrations
2 p.
Miscellaneous Art
M. C. 1496
Pencil & watercolor sketch for dust jacket of
Children's Stories, an unpublished
book
1 p.
M. C. 1496
Colored proposed designs for record album
cover
2 p.
M. C. 1496
Pencil position layouts [no illustrations]
2 p.
M. C. 1496
Watercolor & ink sketch developed from ink
blot
1 p.
M. C. 1496
Illustration proof, greeting card type
1 p.