Nora S. Unwin
Encyclopedia
Nora Spicer Unwin was a children's illustrator and author. She was born near London
, England, in a family famous for several members being engaged in publishing and printing, founding three different firms, most notably Allen & Unwin
.
’s prestigious London art school, then continued her training at the Kingston School of Art and the Royal College of Art
where she received a diploma in design in 1932. During these eight years of specialized training, she explored several mediums including: book illustration, pottery, wood carving, embroidery, bookbinding, mural decoration, engraving, etching, and architecture.
She is best known for her work in book illustration and wood carving. Her first commission for an illustration came at the age of eighteen. While at the Royal Academy two of her wood engravings were selected for display at the British Museum
. After graduating, she began to teach part-time and illustrate children’s books. She credits a wartime job working with children and living in a rural setting as influential in her book illustrations. Her interest in children’s literature was also enhanced by her friendship with Elizabeth Yates, whom she met in London in 1937 and worked with on many book projects.
in 1946, and remained in the United States. The natural world had provided inspiration for many of her illustrations and woodcuts and the New England
flora
and fauna
provided many new sources for her. She subsequently moved to Wellesley, Massachusetts
near Boston
, where she both illustrated books at taught art, and then back to the country at Peterborough, New Hampshire
.
In 1955, Unwin traveled and studied in Mexico
to be closer to Boston
’s cosmopolitan lifestyle. She continued to illustrate children’s books and she also began teaching art again. Soon tiring of the pace of city life, she moved back to the New Hampshire countryside in 1962. In Peterborough, she continued teaching and working closely with Yates. She remained in New Hampshire teaching, exhibiting her art, and illustrating many books until her death in 1982.
She contributed illustrations to more than 100 books by other authors, and wrote and illustrated twelve books of her own, and is also importance in the twentieth-century revival of wood engraving.
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 observation of Mexican poverty during a trip there in 1955.
The Sharon Arts Center in Peterborough, New Hampshire is the keeper of the Nora S. Unwin Collection.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England, in a family famous for several members being engaged in publishing and printing, founding three different firms, most notably Allen & Unwin
Allen & Unwin
Allen & Unwin, formerly a major British publishing house, is now an independent book publisher and distributor based in Australia. The Australian directors have been the sole owners of the Allen & Unwin name since effecting a management buy out at the time the UK parent company, Unwin Hyman, was...
.
England
Nora grew up with a passion for art. Her parents allowed her to convert the upstairs nursery of their Surrey home into her first art studio. She enrolled in Leon UnderwoodLeon Underwood
Leon Underwood "The precursor of modern sculpture in Britain" was a noted British sculptor, painter, draughtsman and engraver as well as a writer and illustrator, scholar, teacher, philosopher and stained glass and furniture craftsman...
’s prestigious London art school, then continued her training at the Kingston School of Art and the Royal College of Art
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
where she received a diploma in design in 1932. During these eight years of specialized training, she explored several mediums including: book illustration, pottery, wood carving, embroidery, bookbinding, mural decoration, engraving, etching, and architecture.
She is best known for her work in book illustration and wood carving. Her first commission for an illustration came at the age of eighteen. While at the Royal Academy two of her wood engravings were selected for display at the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
. After graduating, she began to teach part-time and illustrate children’s books. She credits a wartime job working with children and living in a rural setting as influential in her book illustrations. Her interest in children’s literature was also enhanced by her friendship with Elizabeth Yates, whom she met in London in 1937 and worked with on many book projects.
The Americas
She met children’s book author Elizabeth Yates in London in 1937 and collaborated with her on many book projects; She visited Yates in New HampshireNew Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
in 1946, and remained in the United States. The natural world had provided inspiration for many of her illustrations and woodcuts and the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
and fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
provided many new sources for her. She subsequently moved to Wellesley, Massachusetts
Wellesley, Massachusetts
Wellesley is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of Greater Boston. The population was 27,982 at the time of the 2010 census.It is best known as the home of Wellesley College and Babson College...
near Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, where she both illustrated books at taught art, and then back to the country at Peterborough, New Hampshire
Peterborough, New Hampshire
Peterborough is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,284 at the 2010 census. Home to the MacDowell Art Colony, the town is a popular tourist destination....
.
In 1955, Unwin traveled and studied in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to be closer to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
’s cosmopolitan lifestyle. She continued to illustrate children’s books and she also began teaching art again. Soon tiring of the pace of city life, she moved back to the New Hampshire countryside in 1962. In Peterborough, she continued teaching and working closely with Yates. She remained in New Hampshire teaching, exhibiting her art, and illustrating many books until her death in 1982.
She contributed illustrations to more than 100 books by other authors, and wrote and illustrated twelve books of her own, and is also importance in the twentieth-century revival of wood engraving.
She was a member of the National Academy of Design in New York
She earned a Newbery mention jointly with Yates for Mountain Born
Mountain Born
Mountain Born is a children's historical novel by Elizabeth Yates. Set in the sparsely-populated Rocky Mountains during the 19th century, it describes the life of a shepherd's family. The novel, illustrated by Nora Spicer Unwin, was first published in 1943 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1944....
, and a Newbery Medal
Newbery Medal
The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association . The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. ...
for Amos Fortune, Free Man
Amos Fortune, Free Man
Amos Fortune, Free Man is a biographical novel by Elizabeth Yates that won the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1951. It is about a young African prince, who when people come and attack his tribe, is captured and taken to America as a slave...
. 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 observation of Mexican poverty during a trip there in 1955.
The Sharon Arts Center in Peterborough, New Hampshire is the keeper of the Nora S. Unwin Collection.