Edgar Parin d'Aulaire
Edgar Parin d'Aulaire (1898-1986) was a notable artist and children's book author, born in Munich, Germany. The son of Italian and American artists, he spent his early life in Switzerland before pursuing art studies in Munich, France, and Italy, where he was influenced by renowned artist Henri Matisse. In 1925, he married Norwegian artist Ingri Mortenson, and the couple later emigrated to the United States, where they became naturalized citizens in 1939. They initially faced challenges in their new life but found success after publishing their first children's book, *The Magic Rug*, in 1931, which marked the beginning of a prolific collaborative career.
The d'Aulaires created a diverse array of children's literature, often incorporating Scandinavian folklore and American history, with works like *East of the Sun and West of the Moon* and a celebrated biography of Abraham Lincoln that earned them the prestigious Caldecott Medal. In total, they produced around two dozen books, recognized for their charming illustrations and storytelling. Their contributions played a significant role in establishing illustrated children's books as a respected art form. Edgar Parin d'Aulaire passed away in Georgetown, Connecticut, in 1986, leaving behind a rich legacy in children's literature.
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Subject Terms
Edgar Parin d'Aulaire
Writer
- Born: September 30, 1898
- Birthplace: Munich, Germany
- Died: May 1, 1986
- Place of death: Georgetown, Connecticut
Biography
Edgar Parin d’ Aulaire was born September 30, 1898, in Munich, Germany, the only son of Italian artist Gino Parin and American artist Ella (née d’Aulaire). He grew up in Switzerland, living alternately with his father and mother after their divorce. Later in life he used his mother’s maiden name as his professional name. D’Aulaire enrolled in architecture courses at the Technological Institute of Munich from 1917 to1919. Inspired by his father’s work, however, he took up art instead, studying in Munich from 1922 to 1924 at the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts as well as in France and Italy. For a time he was a pupil of famed French artist Henri Matisse. During the 1920’s, d’Aulaire worked throughout Europe, painting murals and producing prints. He also illustrated several notable books, including Hanns H. Ewers’s Blood and Nora Burglon’s Children of the Soil.
D’Aulaire married Norwegian artist and writer Ingri Mortenson, whom he had met in Munich, on July 24, 1925. The couple had two children, Per Ola and Nils Maarten. After their marriage, d’Aulaire and his wife lived in Paris and Florence. When they visited the United States in 1929, however, they liked the country so much that they soon emigrated, living at first in New York but eventually settling in Connecticut. They became naturalized citizens in 1939. It was in their adopted country that Ingri’s interest in children and children’s portraiture took the couple in a new and ultimately successful direction. Living in near-poverty, the d’Aulaires sold a children’s book that they had written and illustrated, The Magic Rug, which was then published in 1931. Their second book, Ola, appeared a year later. Like its sequel, Ola and Blakken and Line, Sine, Trine (revised under the more-accessible title The Terrible Troll-Bird), the book followed the light-hearted adventures of a Norwegian boy. A number of the d’Aulaires’s subsequent books dealt with Scandinavian themes, including East of the Sun and West of the Moon: Twenty-One Norwegian Folktales, which they translated from the Norwegian of Peter Christen Asbjoernsen and Joergen Moe and illustrated. The d’Aulaires also produced distinctly American works, including a book about Pocahontas and an award- winning biography of Abraham Lincoln. They expanded their treatment of folklore and mythology with Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths. In all the couple wrote some two dozen delightful and optimistic books for children, all illustrated with their own painstakingly prepared lithographs. Their books proved highly popular with several generations of readers, and although some were criticized for their saccharine tone, the couple is credited with helping establish the illustrated children’s book as a legitimate art form.
The d’Aulaires’s biography Abraham Lincoln received the coveted Caldecott Medal of the American Library Association, and D’Aulaires’ Trolls was a National Book Award finalist. Edgar Parin d’Aulaire was awarded the Regina Medal of the Catholic Library Association in 1970. Ingri d’Aulaire died on October 24, 1980, and d’Aulaire himself died May 1, 1986, in Georgetown, Connecticut.