Walt Disney’s Children’s Classics 1937–1953

Travel from Snow White’s castle to Dumbo’s circus tent and back to Neverland with Peter Pan through midcentury illustrations that Disney artists such as Al Dempster, Campbell Grant, and Retta Scott Worcester made for the Golden Books. This anthology of 10 stories is introduced by an essay with documentary photographs and drafts of gouache drawings.

In Los Angeles during the 1940s and 1950s, Disney artists popularized illustration for children both on the big screen and in the pages of the Golden Books, a series of affordably priced children's books. These stories distilled the visual language of Disney films and brought historic and contemporary tales to life through compelling and inventive works of art. The selection of material in this book by 7 different artists reflects the variety of stylistic approaches that defined animation and illustration at the Disney studio.

The book begins with an introduction to the artistic milieu that characterized the Disney studio, and each of the 10 stories is illustrated with complete original art and text. Biographies of the artists featured are included in the appendix. This hardcover anthology of vintage illustration will captivate adults and children alike.