Dorothy P. Lathrop
Dorothy P. Lathrop was an influential American illustrator and author, born on April 16, 1891, in Albany, New York. Growing up in an artistic family, with a painter mother and a sculptor sister, she developed a passion for art and literature early on. Lathrop pursued formal education in art, studying under established artists at Teachers College, the Pennsylvania Academy, and the Art Students League, while also earning a degree in teaching. Initially working as an art teacher, she soon transitioned to illustration, gaining recognition for her work in children's literature.
Her notable projects included illustrating "Hitty, Her First Hundred Years," which won a Newbery Medal, and "Animals of the Bible," for which she received the inaugural Caldecott Medal in 1938. Lathrop's artistic style often featured animals and imaginative creatures, and she also had skills in wood engraving. Throughout her career, she published a steady stream of illustrated books, solidifying her place in the field of children's literature until her death in December 1980 in Falls Village, Connecticut. Lathrop's contributions continue to be celebrated for their charm and creativity.
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Subject Terms
Dorothy P. Lathrop
Illustrator
- Born: April 16, 1891
- Birthplace: Albany, New York
- Died: December 30, 1980
- Place of death: Falls Village, Connecticut
Biography
Dorothy Pulis Lathrop was born on April 16, 1891, in Albany, New York. She was fortunate to belong to an artistic household; her mother, I. Pulis Lathrop, was a painter, and her sister Gertrude grew up to be a sculptor. Their grandfather owned a bookstore in Bridgeport, Connecticut, which helped Lathrop foster her love of books.
Lathrop studied art at several locations. She spent three years studying drawing with Arthur Dow at Teachers College, part of Columbia University in New York City. She also studied at the Pennsylvania Academy with Henry McCarter and at the Art Students League in New York City with F. Luis Mora. Her father, Cyrus Clark Lathrop, insisted her education have a practical application, so her art studies led to her earning a degree in teaching.
Lathrop worked as an art teacher in Albany for two years until she realized it was not what she wanted to be an illustrator instead. Her first art commission was to illustrate a book called Japanese Prints by John Gould Fletcher, published in 1919. Unfortunately for Lathrop, the small publisher went out of business shortly after the book was released, and she was never paid for her work. Her first significant commission as an artist was to illustrate Walter de la Mare’s The Three Little Mullamuggers. The assignment came in 1919 from Alfred Knopf, who was just starting out in the publishing business.
For a while, Lathrop and her sister Gertrude shared a studio with their mother, but when the space became too tight they moved into their own house and had a small, two-room studio built in the back. Lathrop’s art tended toward animals and creatures of fantasy. Eventually, Lathrop branched out into writing as well as illustration and her first book, The Fairy Circus, was published in 1931. Once her work became well known, a book with her illustrations was published every year throughout her career. Lathrop died in December, 1980, in Falls Village, Connecticut.
Lathrop is best known for her illustrations for Hitty, Her First Hundred Years, written by Rachel Field. The book received a Newbery Medal in 1930. In 1938, Lathrop received the inaugural Caldecott Medal for her illustrations for the book Animals of the Bible (1937), written by Helen Dean Fish. Lathrop was also skilled in wood engraving and received a Library of Congress prize in 1946.