Virtual Library of Edward McCandlish Childrens Book Illustrations

Edward McCandlish was my grandfather on my father's side. Unfortunately he passed away before me or any of my many cousins were born. He was a prominent illustrator for the children's page in many newspapers in the 1920's and 1930's. The purpose of this exhibit is to bring enjoyment to all those people who enjoy childrens book illustration, as well as to provide those relatives that do not have access to these books with some of the work within them. It is my understanding that few relatives are hooked up to the net yet, but i'm hoping that if I keep this page on long enough they will be able to see these illustrations, one way or another. If you are a relative please e-mail me, or even if you aren't and you liked the illustrations. I am also trying to keep these works from being forgotten. This site is for fun only and does not benifit anyone financially in any way. As a matter of fact, quite the contrary.

The Illustrations of Edward Gerstell McCandlish were the subject of an exhibit at the Mazza Galleria of the University of Findlay, in OHIO, which ran between August and October in 1996. My wife and I attended the grand opening on August 11th along with about sixty relatives. It sure was nice to see his artwork all together. I believe MAZZA intends to keep up a rotating exhibit of one or two pieces.

Mazza Center Gallery

University of Findlay

1000 North Main Street

Findlay, OHIO 45840

(419) 424-4560

Here are some of the Edward Gerstell McCandlish Books that I have collected, mostly through Druscilla's Bookstore in Maryland

Feel free to pick up any of these books to have a closer look by clicking on the cover. Once you do this you will have the opportunity to look inside at a sample of the illustrations!

LABOULAYE'S FAIRY BOOK

The BUNNY TOTS GAMES and AMUSEMENTS

The BUNNY TOTS SNOW BOOK

Public Works Project

The following is a short biography that covers most of Edward McCandlish's career as an artist and toymaker/designer. This was written by my sister Karen who has been steadily compiling information and copies of Edward's work from newspapers and libraries, for the last several years. This has been no easy task, as you will note, due to the fact that he was almost constantly on the move and his work is spread out across the Eastern United States. Thank-you to Margaret Edwards, Edward's eldest daughter and also my Aunt, for providing several corrections, some of which are added in [brackets] (one must be careful not to use the term favorite Aunt as I have 6 Aunts on this side of the family and that term would be somewhat controversial, in fact they are all my favorite Aunts... er... and I have another favorite Aunt on my mother's side of the family). Also at the end of this page are further comments and details provided by Aunt Margaret

Edward Gerstell McCandlish, an illustrator and writer of children's books and designer of childrens toys, was born in 1887 in Piedmont, West Virginia. Early in his career Edward designed picture postcards in New York City, designed and painted advertising pictures for billboards, painted the eyes, nose, mouth and eyebrows on 3 to 5 thousand dolls a day at Horsman Dolls Co. on Green St. in NYC and designed various dolls for the factory. He also sawed picture puzzles for Brentano's and opened one man shops, one in Dennison Cape Cod, where he sawed picture puzzles, and later a toy shop in Piedmont, West Virginia. He sold many of his creations through the society of the Arts and Crafts in Boston.

He worked as a reporter, collector, agent and columnist for the Cumberland Evening Times in Maryland, and then in the copper shop at Roycrofters in East Aurora, NY, where he published one of his first books, Mother Goose Rhymes. (note: If anyone evers sees a copy for sale let Pete know)

He enlisted as a painter in the Engineering Regiment in the First World War and worked on camouflage. During his service he devised a technique to keep soldiers' attention by jerry-rigging a device similiar to an overhead projector, by which he could illustrate the lectures. After the war he was an instructor in Eastview, NY, where he helped rehabilitate soldiers, teaching them art and lettering. It is here where he met May Belle Bowen McCandlish, who was teaching English to the soldiers there. They went on to have 8 childern together [listed from oldest to youngest], Margaret, Edward "Buddy", Phoebe, David, Doris, Anne, Evelyn Hope [always called Hope], and Jean. Edward Sr. also worked with soldiers, sailors and marine veterans at the St. Elizabeth's Hospital for the Insane, teaching them how to make wooden toys (with power tools).

In 1920 Edward Illustrated Laboulaye's Fairy Book, published by Harper & Bros. Both Mother Goose Rhymes and the Laboulaye's contain several color illustrations. From 1920-1922 Edward attended the Maryland Agricultural College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to study Art (it's name later changed to West Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.) [Dates of 1920-1922 are too late, Edward attended school somewhere between the years of 1900-1917 at Virginia Agricultural Academy, which later became Virginia Military Institute]. Edward designed dolls, wooden toys, games, puzzles, novelties and other toy items made of celluloid, wood, cardboard, bisque and other materials.

Edward moved a lot, during his career. He started publishing newspaper children's stories in the early 1920's, creating the character "Tommy Terrapin" for the Sunday editions of the Washington Evening Star. He published a series of 8 illustratedchildren's books (colored pictures) in 1926 under the publisher Stoll & Edwards. In 1924 he moved to the Washington Post in an illustrated a Sunday column called the "Bunny Tots" adventures, which were later reprinted in 6 books in 1928, published by A.L. Burt Co. He also worked as a stand in for the editorial cartoonist. During this time he told his children's stories over 5 radio stations. After the publishing of the famous "Bootlegger's Map", which was printed ina 2 page spread in the Washington Post, which sold copies worldwide, the Washington Post and Edward parted ways and he moved to Detroit, where he worked as a cartoonist and illustrator for the Dearborn Independent, and then went to work for the Detroit Free Press, from 1929-1933, as an illustrator. He published a column called "Folktales" during that time, which ran for 9 months in 1928 and was syndicated from NY to California. The column "borrowed" fairy tales and Edward illustrated them into strips which could be cut out and pasted into mini-children's books.

In 1936 he designed a line of rubber toys for the Auburn Rubber Corp. in Auburn Ind. (many of these can still be found at Antique Toy Fairs) which included a set of toy soldiers, cars, planes, a set of farm animals, a circus set, three animal trains with octagonal wheels, "Clatter Ducks", "Hop Bunnies", and "Scottie Dogs", as well as 2 book character themed sets, "The Three Little Kittens" and "Little Sam and The Tiger", in addition to a babies teething toys set with an elephant and a scotty dog. Unfortunately this was right before the shortage of rubber.

He patented several of his inventions, including a toy sandbox in the shape of a sail boat with mast, pilot wheel, sail and casters on the bottom so it could move (Heard it was actually Margaret's idea).

Later in his career Edward designed toys in Ohio, and advised in casting and production, set up a toy factory in Van Wert, Ohio. In 1945 he became promotional director for WHEB in Portsmouth, NH and ran a company called Allied Arts. He published a series of humorous maps, including Bill Whiffiletree's ration map of the U.S. and the Un-convention-al map of New Haven. He also created puzzles, games, and wooden toys around this time. He eventually settled in Geneva, NY.

In addition to the books and newspaper columns and illustrations Edward also painted several paintings, which are scattered amongst relatives. There is a collection of some of his work located in the children's illustration collection at the University of Findlay, which is planning an exhibit in mid-August of 1996 to honor Edward Gerstell McCandlish's artwork. All six of the Bunny Tot books are located at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. and are presently in preservation. Copies of "Bill Whiffletree's Bootleggers' Map" and "Ration Map of the U.S.", as well as the "Un-Convention-Al Map of New Haven" are housed at the University of Illinois. A copy of the Bunny Tot Snow Book and Pinky Winky meets a Stranger are at the Catholic University in Washington, D.C. Mother Goose Rhymes is Owned by Aquinas Colledge, Grand Ripids, MI. and Laboulaye's Fairy Book is at several locations, among them the Library of Congress, New York Public Library in NYC, Pacific Oaks Colledge in Pasadena, CA, U. of Northern Iowa, Towson State U in Baltimore, MD, Cleveland Public Library in OH. as well as several other locations around the country.

The Following Biography was published in the Washington Post in 1923

Here is a man who knows what the kiddies like and want-and he gives it to them. Incidently, he seems to know what the grown-ups want for his creations are enjoyed without age limit. However, it is the kiddies he's thinking of when he draws his "Bunny Tots" and writes his amusing little stories about them-and it is the kiddies who clip his pictures and stories and preserve them in scrapbooks.

McCandlish was born at Piedmont, W. Va., 36 years ago and began drawing pictures at the tender age of 5. From that time on his career has been marked by experiences which read like the Arabian Nights.

Temperment! Temperment! Temperment! But then, surely he is entitled to some of the eccentricities which seem to be part of the creative genius. Even as a youth he trampled upon conventionalties and never up to the present time has he ever graduated from any school, college or academy. To use his own words, he "was always fifth from the foot." After being expelled from the (then) Maryland Agricultural college for insubordination he took up the study of art at the Rinehart School of Sculpture and also at the Charcoal club, both of Baltimore. Later he studied at the Academy of Arts at Philadelphia, and during the World War took advantage of the opportunity to study in Europe while there with the A. E. F.

Following his studies in Philadelphia, McCandlish drifted, as he says, "from city to city-and back again," clerking in a bank, working in lumber camps, making illustrations for magazines, washing dishes in a New York restaurant and as a foreman in a toy factory. He started five different toy shops in as many different cities-and watched each of them fail. Again he took up the wanderer's staff and worked as a copper-simth (Roycrofters), reported on a newspaper, worked as a collector, clerked in a store, labored on several farms and became very adept at wielding the pick and shovel while a member of a public highway road gang. But, not yet was he to stop gathering experience, for he continued down the gamut of trades, working in a brick yard, then as a sign painter, next going to sea as super-cargo, after which he found time to participate in the making of paper at a large paper mill. In 1911 he went to Cuba without any money and traveled by foot inland and along the north coast, alone and unarmed-such was the spirit of wanderlust which drove him on and on.

Then came the war which ultimately brought his native country into the greatest struggle in the history of the world and McCandlish, enlisting, served with the 116th Regiment of United States engineers, Camouflage section. During this time of service he also designed posters, painted stage scenery and illustrated camouflage lectures with a special movie apparatus which he designed for that purpose. (the overhead projector) He also served as an interpreter in Spanish, French and Italian languages. Incidentally he invented a whole series of wooden toys which were used as models in the government work shops where shell-shocked soldiers were given this line of work to bring them back to normality.

At the close of the war McCandlish decided to abandon his imitation of Don Quixote and settle down to a life of art. Always a great lover of children, he is now surrounded with the happy atmosphere of real home life with children of his own and it was his own little boy who served as the inspiration for the Bunny Tot pictures and stories, now running in the magazine section of the Washington Post every Sunday.

The following are further commments and details Margaret has provided

He and mom were married in June 1919 and I was born April 30, 1920 ...

Much of Dad's work in those early years was done between jobs or as he worked and studied art at the same time.

Dad's work at the Washington Post included being a staff cartoonist (he went to work there every day.) I have an early memory of viewing a military funeral cortege from the roof of the Post building when I was very small - could it possibly have been that of the Unknown Soldier? That was November 11, 1921. I know my father viewed that cortege and told my mother then that he wished to be buried in Arlington cemetery . He is, as well as Mom, the ashes of little Ralph (their still born child), and my brother Edward, also in the same grave.

But I digress -

All the "Folk Tales" were published and syndicated while he was at the Free Press, so I believe your dates are a bit confused. He must have begun there in about 1928. I'm not sure.

One expert on Dad's Auburn toys is Richard O-Brian of Beaufort, SC, who researched them extensively and published a book on Toy Soldiers, which has reference to them, as well as in other magazine articles he wrote. He sent me copies.

And yes the "Sand Boat" was my idea but he was the artist who carried it out, designed and sold it. The family lived in Van Wert then, later moved to Geneva, NY for several years. Your Dad (David) graduated from High School there. From there they moved to Portsmouth, NH where the family was living when he died in Mass, on his way to a meeting, with a man, with a new game he had designed. He was 59. You should know that his father, he, and Edward each died of a sudden unexpected and symptom-less heart attack when it seemed like they were in excellent health.

You are correct, Pete, in saying the Mother Goose book was published by Roycrofters and is undated. But it was his first published book (and rare!). The "Laboulaye's Fairy book" is also notable because of the preface by Kate Douglas Wiggin who praises Dad's illustrations. My sister, Anne, gave her daughter, Janet, the original painting of the "Bunny Tots' Frog Race", which is the frontispiece of the "Games and Amusements".

Hope still has the original of the cover of the "Bunny Tot's Snow Book" (Hope Rider - Wabash, IN). We used to play in and around a tree like that later on, which we found in a woods near Northville, MI, when he worked at the Free Press. Probably an Indian Trail marker tree.

On very unusual thing about the "Bootleggers Map of the United States": usually such a drawing by a staff cartoonist becomes the property of the newspaper, but somehow Dad persuaded them to give him the rights to it. He had it printed and re-printed and sold them. Of course the copyright has long expired and even before then it was "pirated" by others so he didn't profit from it as much as he should have. But it was undoubtedly the most copied of any of his work.

My family has been trying to get copies of Dad's work … books, toys, and all… which I have turned over to Mazza Museum (as they call it now), so they now have at least one copy of most of his books. …The Mother Goose is the only one which is really expensive (one sold recently for $250). I also donated 16 years of Dad's diaries to their research library.

I think it's rather interesting that as of now there are 8 art connected descendants in the family so far. Two are not professional, but the others are, and the latest is my grandson who has been accepted in the College of Architecture at University of Cincinnati…

Phoebe has the original of a picture the Post published about 1926 or 1927 for which she was the model. I recently gave Mazza a game copyrighted in 1930 for which Buddy and Phoebe were the models. Phoebe and I saved the dresses which Dad used on his model dolls for Auburn Rubber and she has one of the original ones which has on it the clothes she made for it about 1939. Phoebe and I have little buckets which we can remember from about 1930. Our families located these on the internet and each of us received one for Christmas in 2003!! What a wonderful surprise it was for both of us!

Edward McCandlish Links: