Garth Williams
Garth Williams was a prominent children's book illustrator and author, born on April 16, 1912, in New York City. Growing up in a family of artists, Williams spent part of his childhood in New Jersey before moving to Canada and then England, where he pursued formal art education. His career spanned various roles, including portrait sculptor and art editor, but he gained lasting fame for his illustrations of beloved children's classics such as "Charlotte's Web," "Stuart Little," and the "Little House on the Prairie" series. Williams's illustrations are characterized by their clear and expressive line work, which brought stories to life for young readers.
In addition to illustrating works by others, Williams authored and illustrated his own books, including "The Adventures of Benjamin Pink" and "The Chicken Book." His 1958 publication, "The Rabbits' Wedding," which featured a black rabbit and a white rabbit, sparked controversy during the Civil Rights movement, leading to its ban in several Southern libraries, despite Williams's assertion that it was not intended to be racially provocative. Throughout his career, Williams received numerous accolades, including the British Prix de Rome for sculpture in 1936. He passed away on May 8, 1996, in Mexico, leaving a lasting legacy in children's literature through his iconic illustrations.
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Garth Williams
Illustrator
- Born: April 16, 1912
- Birthplace: New York, New York
- Died: May 8, 1996
- Place of death: Marfil, Guanajuato, Mexico
Biography
Garth Williams, a children’s book illustrator and author, was born on April 16, 1912, in New York City. His parents were both artists and after spending a few years on a farm in New Jersey, the family moved first to Canada and then to England. Williams attended the City of London School and Westminster Art School from 1929 until 1931, followed by the Royal College of Art in 1934. He completed graduate study at the British School in Rome while also studying in the museums of many European countries, including France, the Netherlands, Greece, and Germany. While in Germany, he met his first of four wives, Gunda V. Davidson, an interpreter. They later had two daughters.
Williams’s career as an artist included making portrait busts and serving as an art editor for women’s magazines. He also organized Luton Art School in 1935 and 1936. During World War II, he served in the British Red Cross Civilian Defense from 1939 through 1941. By the end of the war he had divorced his first wife and returned to the United States. He married his second wife, Dorothea, in 1945; they had two children. She died in 1965.
Beginning in 1944, Williams worked as an illustrator of children’s books and is known for the clear, expressive line drawings gracing classics such as Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little, and the Little House on the Prairie series. The Little House books took him six years to illustrate and he traveled to all of their locations as well as meeting with their author, Laura Ingalls Wilder, who was then eighty years old.
In addition to illustrating the works of other writers, Williams wrote and illustrated several of his own books, including The Adventures of Benjamin Pink (1951) and The Chicken Book: A Traditional Rhyme (1946). One of his books, The Rabbits’ Wedding, became the center of a controversy. Published in 1958, early in the Civil Rights movement, the book portrayed the marriage of two rabbits, one black and one white. Interpreted by some as inflammatory, the book was banned by many Southern libraries. Williams claimed there was nothing racially provocative about the book but that he simply needed a way to tell the two rabbits apart on solely black-and-white pages. Despite the outrage it generated, the book sold well and has remained in print since its publication.
Williams received the British Prix de Rome for sculpture in 1936. The Rescuers, written by Margery Sharp with Williams’s illustrations, was selected one of the American Institute of Graphic Arts Children’s Books for 1958 through 1960. Beneath a Blue Umbrella (1990), written by Jack Prelutsky and illustrated by Williams, was chosen as one of the ten best illustrated books of 1990 by The New York Times.
Williams died of pneumonia on May 8, 1996, in Marfil, Guanajuato, Mexico. Despite writing lovely stories of his own, Williams will be remembered for the many classic books by other authors that he illustrated in crisp black-and-white line art.