Marcia Brown Papers

The collection contains photographs of Brown, programs from the 1972 University of Southern Mississippi's Children's Book Festival, original materials for 20 books published between 1947 and 1972, and one unidentified drawing. The materials in the collection cover 25 years of Brown's career and are representative of her interest in tales from other cultures as well as traditional European-based tales. The artwork demonstrates some of Brown's favorite techniques including linoleum and woodcuts.

The material for the books is arranged alphabetically by title; for each title the organization of the material reflects the probable order in which it was created. The artist appended small, blue notes to some of the illustrations in the collection. In an effort to remain consistent throughout, the descriptions in this finding aid may at times diverge from those of the creator.

Anansi, the Spider Man (1954) is a collection of Jamaican folk tales. For this title the collection has both pen and ink and watercolor illustrations. For Backbone of the King (1966), the Hawaiian story of Paka'a and his son, the collection contains partial and complete typescripts, linoleum blocks and linoleum prints. The Bun (1972) is a traditional Russian folk tale in which the central character, the bun, outsmarts all the other characters, except for the clever fox. For this title the collection includes two corrected typescripts, preliminary drawings, and two watercolor illustrations.

Brown received the Caldecott for adapting and illustrating Cinderella (1954), Charles Perrault's classic tale of the poor, mistreated girl who wins the heart of the handsome prince. For this title, the collection contains a typescript, preliminary drawings and watercolor illustrations. For Dick Whittington and His Cat (1950), Brown's retelling of the legend about a boy who became mayor of London and whose cat made him rich, the collection includes linoleum prints and a proof, printed by the artist, for the title page. Felice (1958), set in Venice, is the story of a striped cat who is befriended by a canal boatman's son and gets a name and a home. For this title the collection has watercolor illustrations and a trial sketch for the jacket. For The Flying Carpet (1956), Brown's retelling of Richard Burton's translation of The Arabian Nights, the collection includes three marker and watercolor illustrations. For Giselle (1970), Brown's rendition of the ballet about a young peasant girl who falls in love, the collection has preliminary drawings, a typescript, and proofs. For Henry, Fisherman: A Story of the Virgin Islands (1949), the collection contains a manuscript, preliminary drawings, and gouache and graphite illustrations.

How, Hippo! (1969) is the story of Little Hippo's frightening experience with a crocodile the first time he is separated from his mother. The collection has a manuscript, a preliminary drawing, the woodblock for the endpapers, and color woodblock prints for this book. The Little Carousel (1946), Marcia Brown's first book, is the story of a boy named Anthony and the treat he gets when a carousel visits his street. For this title the collection includes a rough dummy and press sheets. The Neighbors (1967) is about the conflict that ensues when the fox takes over the hare's home. In the collection for this title are a manuscript, illustrations and proofs. Brown won the Caldecott for retelling and illustrating Once a Mouse (1961), the story of a mouse who becomes a cat, a dog, and a tiger only to be turned back into a mouse again because of excessive vanity. There are a woodblock, a dummy and wood block prints for this title, as well as a Newbery-Caldecott souvenir scarf. For Peter Piper's Alphabet (1959) the collection has illustrations and a dust jacket. Puss In Boots (1952) is the tale of a sly cat who wins for his master the lordship of a manor and the hand of a princess. For this title the collection contains an edited typescript, illustrations, color proofs and a woodblock print. For Skipper John's Cook (1951), the tale of how a boy named Si changed the crew's all-bean diet, there is a typescript, a dummy and an illustration.

The Steadfast Tin Soldier (1953) is Hans Christian Andersen's tale of a toy soldier who falls in love with a paper ballerina. For this title the collection includes Marcia Brown's preliminary drawings and illustrations, as well as a monotype print and a printer's proof. Stone Soup (1947) tells of three soldiers who feed a whole town on soup made of stones and water. This title includes a dummy of the 1960 French version entitled Une Drole de Soupe. It also includes preliminary drawings and one final watercolor illustration. For Tamarindo! (1960), the story of four boys who set out to find a lost donkey, there are a manuscript, two typescripts, a dummy, cut press sheets and a dust jacket. For The Wild Swans (1963), another Hans Christian Andersen classic, there are preliminary drawings, one watercolor illustration and proofs. The collection also contains one unidentified drawing.