Illustration of knights on horseback.
See full image
Alice Bolam Preston, Illustration for The Little Man with One Shoe, 1921. Gift of Kendra and Allan Daniel. Public domain.

A Genteel Tradition: The Art of Alice Bolam Preston

December 16, 2014 - May 3, 2015
West Gallery

The Carle showcases the career of Alice Bolam Preston (1888-1958), taken from the museum’s holdings of the generous gift of Kendra and Allan Daniel. Preston was an illustrator, designer, and craftsperson, known for children’s book illustration. She worked primarily for Houghton Mifflin in the teens and twenties—at the end of what is often considered the “golden age” of illustration. Among the books she illustrated were Adventures in Mother Goose Land (1920), Peggy in Her Blue Frock (1921), The Little Man with One Shoe (1921), Humpty Dumpty House (1921), The Valley of Color Days (1924), and Whistle for Good Fortune (1940). Her work reflects a strong interest in fairies, and resonates with some of the premier British artists working at the time, including Henry Ford, Harry Clarke, Charles Robinson, and Jessie Marion King. Closer to home, she worked in the orbit of Jessie Willcox Smith.

Featured Artists

Alice Bolam Preston

Alice Bolam Preston was one of the most prolific professional women artists of the 1910s and 1920s. Determined to pursue an artistic career, she illustrated 11 children’s books and designed many magazine covers with her characteristic crisp linework and meticulous detailing.