Nora S. Unwin
Nora Spicer Unwin (22 February 1907 – 1 January 1982) was a wood engraver, book illustrator and writer. She was born near London, England, in a family already renowned for publishing and printing circles and for founding three different publishing houses, most notably Allen & Unwin.
England
Unwin was educated at
Best known for her work in book illustration and wood engraving, her first commissioned illustration, a dust jacket for Edith Nesbit's Five of Us and Madeline, came at the age of eighteen.[5] While at the Royal Academy two of her wood engravings were selected for the British Museum's collection. After graduating, she began to teach part-time while illustrating children's books on the side. She credits a wartime job where she had the opportunity to work with children as well as living in a rural setting as influences on her book illustrations.
The Americas
Unwin's interest in children's literature was enhanced by her friendship with the American children's book author
In 1955, Unwin traveled and studied in Mexico, then settled in Wellesley, Massachusetts to be closer to Boston and its cultural life. There, she continued to illustrate books and also resumed teaching art. In 1962, Unwin moved back to Peterborough, New Hampshire, where she resumed her close collaboration with Yates. Unwin remained in Peterborough teaching, exhibiting her art, and illustrating many books until her death in 1982.
Books and illustrations
Unwin contributed illustrations to more than 100 books by other authors, and wrote and illustrated twelve books of her own. She wrote her first book, Lucy and the Little Red Horse, in 1943 with her friend Gwendy Caroe.[6]
She was a member of the National Academy of Design in New York. She earned a Newbery mention jointly with Yates for Mountain Born, and a Newbery Medal for Amos Fortune, Free Man. Among her other major works are the detailed woodcuts for John Kieran’s 1947 Footnotes on Nature, and her children's book Poquito: The Little Mexican Duck, based on her observations on poverty inspired by her trip to Mexico in 1955.
Legacy
Late in her life, Unwin made plans to leave the contents of her Peterborough studio to the Sharon Arts Center in Sharon, New Hampshire. The collection, including wood engravings, sketchbooks, drawings, linoleum prints, collagraphs and collages, was held by the Sharon Arts Center until its merger with the New Hampshire Institute of Art in Manchester, New Hampshire. Later, the New Hampshire Institute of Art merged with New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire. In 2022, New England College donated the Nora S. Unwin Collection to the Monadnock Center for History and Culture in Peterborough, New Hampshire.
The
Ownership of publishing rights for her works are unclear, and efforts to license her works for a series of feature animations were awaiting pending clarification of ownership and options[when?].
Family
Unwin was a twin and one of five children. She never married.[5] Most Unwin family members still live in Surrey, with a few in USA and Cyprus.[citation needed] A few are aspiring artists like their 'Aunt Nora'.[citation needed]
References
- ISBN 9780859676045– via Google Books.
- ISBN 9780718830847.
- ^ "Nora S. Unwin: Artist and Wood Engraver - Bauhan Publishing". Bauhan Publishing. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
- ^ "Unwin, Nora S. (Nora Spicer), 1907-1982 @ SNAC". snaccooperative.org. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
- ^ required.)
- ISBN 9780195146561.
- ^ "Archives West: Nora S. Unwin papers, 1926-1973". archiveswest.orbiscascade.org. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
- ^ "USM de Grummond Collection - NORA S. UNWIN PAPERS". www.lib.usm.edu. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
External links
- Guide to the Nora S. Unwin papers at the University of Oregon
- Bauhan Publishing, Peterborough, New Hampshire
- The New Hampshire Institute of Art, Manchester and Sharon, New Hampshire
- Nora S. Unwin at Library of Congress, with 44 library catalogue records
- Monandock Center for History and Culture, Peterborough, New Hampshire