{"product_id":"hader-sonny-elephant-original-illustration-art-archive-1930","title":"115 Original Pen, Ink and Watercolor Drawings by Berta and Elmer Hader Published in Sonny Elephant by Madge A. Bigham","description":"\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"11\"\u003e(Original Illustration Art \/ 20th Century \/ Children's Literature)\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"11\" data-index-in-node=\"63\"\u003e115 ORIGINAL PEN, INK AND WATERCOLOR DRAWINGS BY BERTA AND ELMER HADER PUBLISHED IN \u003cem\u003eSONNY ELEPHANT\u003c\/em\u003e BY MADGE A. BIGHAM\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"12\"\u003eBoston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1930. A monumental, structurally complete archive comprising 115 original pen, ink, and watercolor drawings executed by the celebrated husband-and-wife illustrating team Berta and Elmer Hader. This collection represents all but seven of the total illustrations utilized to publish the \u003cstrong\u003eFIRST EDITION\u003c\/strong\u003e of Madge A. Bigham's beloved children's book, \u003ci data-path-to-node=\"12\" data-index-in-node=\"381\"\u003eSonny Elephant\u003c\/i\u003e. The 115 distinct illustrations are rendered across 79 sheets of heavy artist board of varying physical dimensions. The archive encompasses a diverse array of publication elements: six unique decorative border designs, dozens of small spot drawings intended for placement within the text columns, numerous large full-page compositions, and a grand, double-page layout utilized for the book's front and back endpapers. Included alongside the archive is a clean \u003cstrong\u003eFIRST EDITION\u003c\/strong\u003e reading copy of \u003ci data-path-to-node=\"12\" data-index-in-node=\"886\"\u003eSonny Elephant\u003c\/i\u003e (1930), serving as a definitive bibliographical key for the placement and reproduction of the artwork.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"13\"\u003eThe physical condition of the print is graded \u003cstrong\u003e(7\/10) - FINE \u003c\/strong\u003e(utilizing a standardized 10-point scale for photographic prints and original works of art, indicating mild or moderate condition issues that attract the eye under gallery lighting conditions) \u003cstrong\u003eor better.\u003c\/strong\u003e The primary image fields are remarkably clean, bright, and stable, with the Haders' fine ink lines and vivid watercolor washes perfectly preserved; the heavy artist boards exhibit typical, localized adhesive residue and minor handling smudges strictly confined to the outer margins from historical matting arrangements, not affecting the artwork.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 data-path-to-node=\"14\"\u003eBerta and Elmer Hader and the Golden Age of American Picture Books\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"15\"\u003eActive from the late 1910s through the 1960s, Berta and Elmer Hader achieved legendary status within the landscape of twentieth-century American children's literature, ultimately collaborating on more than 70 distinct volumes. Their artistic partnership was uniquely seamless, often working simultaneously on the same sheets to blend fluid watercolor techniques with precise, character-driven draftsmanship. This 1930 archive for \u003ci data-path-to-node=\"15\" data-index-in-node=\"430\"\u003eSonny Elephant\u003c\/i\u003e captures the Haders at a pivotal creative juncture, just a decade before they would achieve the highest institutional honors in their field, including a Caldecott Honor in 1940 for \u003ci data-path-to-node=\"15\" data-index-in-node=\"626\"\u003eCock-a-Doodle-Doo\u003c\/i\u003e, another in 1944 for \u003ci data-path-to-node=\"15\" data-index-in-node=\"665\"\u003eThe Mighty Hunter\u003c\/i\u003e, and the prestigious Randolph Caldecott Medal in 1949 for \u003ci data-path-to-node=\"15\" data-index-in-node=\"741\"\u003eThe Big Snow\u003c\/i\u003e. The lively, sympathetic portrayals of animals showcased throughout these 115 drawings reflect the foundational style that defined their celebrated career.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 data-path-to-node=\"16\"\u003eSeries Bibliography, Census, and Market Scarcity\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"citation-20820 citation-20821 citation-end-20821\"\u003eWhile isolated spot illustrations or single standalone plates by t\u003csup data-turn-source-index=\"91\" class=\"superscript embedded\"\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"citation-20820 citation-end-20820\"\u003ehe Haders occasionally appear on the m\u003csup data-turn-source-index=\"92\" class=\"superscript embedded\"\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003c\/span\u003earket, \u003cspan class=\"citation-20818\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"citation-20818 citation-20819 citation-end-20819\"\u003ethe survival of the final production artwork for one of their major pre-war children's publications is an extraordinary scarcity. Most publisher files and artist estates from this era were routinely broken up, scattered, or destr\u003csup data-turn-source-index=\"93\" class=\"superscript embedded\"\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"citation-20818 citation-end-20818\"\u003eoyed. A current global sweep of the \u003cstrong\u003eOCLC\/WorldCat database locat\u003csup data-turn-source-index=\"94\" class=\"superscript embedded\"\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ees no other similar or complete final watercolor archive\u003c\/strong\u003e for any single Hader book title preserved in institutional special collections worldwide. Instead, institutional holdings are mainly limited to separate historical papers or working materials, such as the archival holdings at \u003cspan class=\"citation-20816\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"citation-20815 citation-20816\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"citation-20814 citation-20815 citation-20816\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"citation-20813 citation-20814 citation-20815 citation-20816\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"citation-20812 citation-20813 citation-20814 citation-20815 citation-20816\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"citation-20812 citation-20813 citation-20814 citation-20815 citation-20816 citation-20817 citation-end-20817\"\u003ethe University of Oregon and the University of Southern Mississippi.\u003c\/span\u003e A manuscript book dummy for \u003ci data-index-in-node=\"663\" data-path-to-node=\"17\"\u003eSonny Elephant\u003c\/i\u003e is secured at \u003cstrong\u003eYale University Library\u003c\/strong\u003e, containing circa 90 preliminary pencil sketches and circa nine watercolor illustrations—representing the early preparatory stages for the volume rather than the finished production art\u003cspan class=\"citation-20812 citation-20813 citation-20814 citation-20815 citation-20816 citation-20817 citation-end-20817\"\u003e. The preservation of this primary corpus of 115 final drawings alongside the original text represents a premier curatorial opportunity to study the physical layo\u003csup data-turn-source-index=\"95\" class=\"superscript embedded\"\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"citation-20812 citation-20813 citation-20814 citation-20815 citation-20816 citation-end-20816\"\u003eut, mechanical margins, and production methodology of a major 1930s juvenile publication.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"18\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"18\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eTHIS EXCEPTIONALLY RARE AND COMPREHENSIVE PRODUCTION ARCHIVE OF 115 ORIGINAL BERTA AND ELMER HADER DRAWINGS FOR \u003cem\u003eSONNY ELEPHANT\u003c\/em\u003e REPRESENTS A CRITICAL ACQUISITION FOR INSTITUTIONAL SPECIAL COLLECTIONS OR EXTRAORDINARY PRIVATE COLLECTIONS DEVOTED TO THE HISTORY OF ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATION ART, TWENTIETH-CENTURY AMERICAN PICTURE BOOKS, OR PRE-WAR JUVENILE LITERATURE.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e# 000825\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wallace \u0026 Clark, Booksellers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43250618630293,"sku":null,"price":7500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0459\/2589\/2245\/products\/sonnyelephant0120190527.jpg?v=1676830913","url":"https:\/\/wallaceandclark.com\/products\/hader-sonny-elephant-original-illustration-art-archive-1930","provider":"Wallace \u0026 Clark, Booksellers","version":"1.0","type":"link"}