Randolph Caldecott (1846–1886)
Author of Sing a Song for Sixpence
About the Author
Heralded as the greatest artist of the triumvirate of modern illustrators that included Greenaway and Crane, Randolph Caldecott is highly praised for introducing techniques of animation into picture book art and for his humorous, satiric extensions of the text in his illustrations. Caldecott's fame show more centers on 16 books, often referred to as the "Toy Books," reprinted by Edmund Evans in his innovative printing techniques, featuring mainly traditional nursery rhymes and songs, and published in pairs. They include: The House That Jack Built (1865), The Diverting History of John Gilpin (written by William Cowper) (1878), Elegy on the Death of a Mad Dog (written by Oliver Goldsmith) (1979), Babes in the Wood (1879), Sing a Song of Sixpence (1880), The Three Jovial Huntsmen (1880), The Farmer's Boy (1881), The Queen of Hearts (1881), The Milkmaid (1882), Hey Diddle Diddle with Baby Bunting (1882), A Frog He Would a-Wooing Go (1883), and The Fox Jumps over the Parson's Gate (1884). Caldecott generally drew his illustrations in sepia applied with a brush rather than a pen; he included an average of three uncolored illustrations for each colored one. He has received praise for his fluid style, which created a sense of movement across a page and from one page to another; he is also lauded for his insight into human nature and instinctive grasp of what appeals to children. Each year the American Library Association awards a highly coveted medal in his name to the best illustrated book by an American author. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by Randolph Caldecott
R Caldecott's Picture Book No 3. Hey Diddle Diddle andnd Baby Bunting. Ride A Cock Horse To Banbury Cross. The… (1906) 24 copies
R Caldecott's Picture Book No 2. Three Jovial Huntsmen. Sing a Song for Sixpence. The Queen of Hearts. The Farmers Boy… (1881) 23 copies
R Caldecott's Picture Book. The Diverting History of John Gilpin. The House That Jack Built. An Elegy on the Death of a… (1879) 11 copies
A First Caldecott Collection: The House That Jack Built / A Frog He Would A-Wooing Go (1986) 5 copies
R Caldecott's Picture Book No 2. The House that Jack Built. Sing A Song for Sixpence. The Queen of Hearts (3-in-1) (1941) 3 copies
R. Caldecott's Picture Book 2 copies
A Sketch-Book of R. Caldecott's 2 copies
R Caldecott's Picture Book No 1: John Gilpin, The Three Jovial Huntsmen & The Mad Dog (3-in-1) 2 copies
Picture book 1 copy
R. Caldecotts picture books 1 copy
Associated Works
The Annotated Mother Goose: Nursery Rhymes Old and New, Arranged and Explained (1962) — Illustrator — 623 copies
Tomfoolery! Randolph Caldecott and the Rambunctious Coming-of-Age of Children's Books (2023) — Illustrator — 34 copies
Washington Irving: A Treasury: Rip Van Winkle, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Old Christmas (2012) — Illustrator, some editions — 19 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1846-03-22
- Date of death
- 1886-02-12
- Burial location
- Evergreen Cemetery, St. Augustine, Florida, USA
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- Chester, Cheshire, England, UK
- Place of death
- St. Augustine, Florida, USA
- Places of residence
- Chester, Cheshire, England, UK (birth)
Whitchurch, Shropshire, England, UK
Manchester, England, UK
London, England, UK
Wybournes house, Kent, England, UK (near Sevenoaks) - Education
- Manchester School of Art
- Occupations
- clerk (bank)
artist
illustrator - Relationships
- du Maurier, George (associate)
Rossetti, Dante Gabriel (associate)
Irving, Washington (associate) - Organizations
- Brasenose Club
- Awards and honors
- Caldecott Medal
Members
Reviews
Lists
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 72
- Also by
- 10
- Members
- 662
- Popularity
- #38,094
- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
- 17
- ISBNs
- 112