Girl and boy with willow whistles
Date1929
Artist
Katharine Richardson Wireman
(American illustrator and painter, 1878–1966)
Illustration Citation"The Willow Whistle," by Cornelia Meigs, in Child Life, September 1929
MediumInk on illustration board
Dimensionssheet: 12 7/8 × 10 in. (32.7 × 25.4 cm)
support: 19 1/2 × 15 3/8 in. (49.5 × 39.1 cm)
support: 19 1/2 × 15 3/8 in. (49.5 × 39.1 cm)
Credit LineGift of Henrietta Wireman Shuttleworth, 2017
Object number2017-56
On View
Not on viewClassificationsDRAWING
Label TextKatharine Richardson Wireman's drawing illustrates a key moment in a children's story about pioneer life on the American frontier. Eric has made willow whistles for himself and his friend Mary Anne, so that they can call to each other. The willow whistle plays a crucial part in rescuing Mary Anne later in the story. The artist enlivened the scene with an array of patterns and decorative motifs inspired by Native American designs.Author Cornelia Meigs wrote prize-winning fiction and biographies for children. An English professor at her alma mater Bryn Mawr College, she was also an authority on children's literature.
Katharine Richardson Wireman
1912
