Beschreibung:

Openshaw, Olive. THE ARCHIVE OF OLIVE FREARSON OPENSHAW. Olive Openshaw was the original illustrator of the Enid Blyton Mary Mouse books. This series of small oblong picture-strip books was published by the Brockhampton Press from 1942-1953 and was hugely popular in its day. As well as producing illustrations for other works by Enid Blyton, Openshaw also illustrated children's books by Cynthia, Lady Asquith, numerous song books and miniature books, as well as general natural history books for children. Openshaw studied art at the Manchester Municipal School of Art from 1929 and included in her archive are portfolios of course work, material relating to her graduation, as well as a selection of catalogues and books relating to Manchester during the 1920s-1940s. There are numerous original watercolour drawings and manuscripts for children's books, a collection of drawings for general commercial work and designs for greetings cards, alongside general letters, books and personal effects. This small archive provides a fascinating insight into the training and subsequent career of a successful, although little-known today, illustrator. Fascinatingly Openshaw re-illustrated Jean de Brunhoff's Babar series which had been rewritten by Enid Blyton, a fact not generally known. The archive includes: [Blyton, Enid]. Ink and watercolour cover design for The Adventures of Scamp; Mary Mouse series, 3 sheets working drawings, 4 sheets tracing paper drawings; Mary Mouse series, 11 copies of 7 different titles of the narrow oblong strip books: Hallo, Little Mary Mouse, Mary Mouse and the Dolls' House, How Do You Do Mary Mouse, Mary Mouse and the Noah's Ark, Mary Mouse and her Bicycle, More Adventures of Mary Mouse, We Do Love Mary Mouse; four autograph letters signed from Enid Blyton about Mary Mouse, 1945-1949; Babar's Story Book, retold by Enid Blyton, with illustrations by Olive Openshaw, 1941, original watercolour cover design and working pencil draft--Asquith, Cynthia. I Wish I Were You, 1949, illustrated by Olive Openshaw, signed and dated by Cynthia Asquith, with ALS from the author to the artist; The Children's Ship, 1950, 2 copies, 16 sheets of pencil and watercolour drawings for the four stories in I Wish I Were You, and for some of the stories in The Children's Ship--The Theatre Royal Haymarket. Jubilee Performance 1935, cover design, four sheets working drawings for programme--Arandora Star. Mediterranean Cruise 1939, illustrated mock-up book, text provided typed, with watercolours by Openshaw, 16pp, 8vo--Country Ramble, illustrated manuscript mock-up, manuscript text and working drawings for other miniature books--The War A.B.C., mock-up of pictorial alphabet book, ink and watercolour cover design and illustrations and captions all in pencil and watercolour--Nigger's First Christmas, original typescript notes for series of six Nigger books, oblong strip books, and watercolour cover design for First Christmas--Challenge Miniature Books, edited by Nan Dearmer, 24mo, 12pp lithographed throughout in colour with illustrations by Openshaw--Song and Prayer Books, series of drawings for children's song and prayer books, 35pp. pencil drawings and captions, 4to--Manchester Municipal School of Art 1932-1936, five large portfolios comprising around five hundred large sheets of course work drawings titled: Architecture and Perspective / Pictorial Design and Lettering / Anatomy / Natural Forms and Outdoor Sketches, the majority signed and dated--General Commercial Artwork, a collection of approximately 75 loose sheets mostly pencil drawings, some with added ink or watercolour, several signed, some double-sided, many preliminary drawings, others finished artwork--Business Letters comprising several typed letters signed and autograph letters signed to Olive Openshaw from publishers and agents including W.S. Cowell, Nelson, Werner Laurie, Kathleen Boland Studio and Sheldon Studios--Personal Letters and Effects comprising a collection of over 20