Nature and Scope
Children’s Literature and Culture is a database of primary sources documenting over one hundred years of children’s literature and print culture, incorporating the era known as the first ‘golden age’ of children’s literature. Bridging the didactic chapbook era of the long eighteenth century with the plot- and image-driven books of the early twentieth century, and covering many other document types in between, the material in this resource is essential to students and researchers interested in a broad spread of topics.
Virtually nothing of cultural significance escapes being touched upon in some way within children’s print culture, so examining the literature produced for and, in some cases, by its young people is a way of probing the evolving nature of a society. Across time and place, text and image alike convey the expectations that societies have of their children and present, in simply worded and visually compelling ways, the aspects and challenges of everyday life faced by young people and their families.
The resource incorporates a wide geographical sweep. It includes a selection of titles from European publishers and some written in French or German but focuses primarily on American literature and culture. Central to the resource are the items published by McLoughlin Bros, a New York-based firm that pioneered the use of color print technology in children’s books.
For further information on the material selected for inclusion in Children’s Literature and Culture, please read the Selection Criteria or watch the video Introducing Children’s Literature and Culture.
To find out more about discovering documents relevant to your research, please read the Searching Guide.
Children’s Literature and Culture is a database of primary sources documenting over one hundred years of children’s literature and print culture, incorporating the era known as the first ‘golden age’ of children’s literature. Bridging the didactic chapbook era of the long eighteenth century with the plot- and image-driven books of the early twentieth century, and covering many other document types in between, the material in this resource is essential to students and researchers interested in a broad spread of topics.
Virtually nothing of cultural significance escapes being touched upon in some way within children’s print culture, so examining the literature produced for and, in some cases, by its young people is a way of probing the evolving nature of a society. Across time and place, text and image alike convey the expectations that societies have of their children and present, in simply worded and visually compelling ways, the aspects and challenges of everyday life faced by young people and their families.
The resource incorporates a wide geographical sweep. It includes a selection of titles from European publishers and some written in French or German but focuses primarily on American literature and culture. Central to the resource are the items published by McLoughlin Bros, a New York-based firm that pioneered the use of color print technology in children’s books.
For further information on the material selected for inclusion in Children’s Literature and Culture, please read the Selection Criteria or watch the video Introducing Children’s Literature and Culture.
To find out more about discovering documents relevant to your research, please read the Searching Guide.
Contributing Archives
Children’s Literature and Culture makes available both published and unpublished primary source materials from the following archives and libraries:
- American Antiquarian Society
- Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library
Contributing Archives
Children’s Literature and Culture makes available both published and unpublished primary source materials from the following archives and libraries:
- American Antiquarian Society
- Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library
Content Warning
Due to the nature of these sources, graphic images and written accounts featuring violence, injury, death, child abuse, racism, homophobia, misogyny and explicit language can be found in this resource.
Please also note that, due to the period in which the primary sources in this resource were produced, some do contain language and terminology that is outdated, derogatory and offensive by modern standards. Learn more about our approach to terminology in this resource in the Language Statement.
Content Warning
Due to the nature of these sources, graphic images and written accounts featuring violence, injury, death, child abuse, racism, homophobia, misogyny and explicit language can be found in this resource.
Please also note that, due to the period in which the primary sources in this resource were produced, some do contain language and terminology that is outdated, derogatory and offensive by modern standards. Learn more about our approach to terminology in this resource in the Language Statement.
Document Types
The archival material in this resource consists of the following document types:
- Books published primarily by McLoughlin Bros and by competitors such as Fisher & Brother and E.P. Dutton. Selections include accordion books, alphabet books, chapbooks, novels, and picture books written and illustrated by influential authors such as Daniel Defoe and Louisa May Alcott, and illustrators such as Kate Greenaway and Ida Waugh. A number of first and early editions are available.
- Catalogs and order forms outlining the products that McLoughlin Bros had to offer.
- Educational books aimed for use in school and for home learning. These include atlases and geography books, spelling books, readers, primers, syllable books, and drawing or painting books.
- Religious tracts published primarily by the American Sunday School Union and the American Tract Society but including a selection from Henry Hoyt, Carlton & Porter, and other publishing houses. Selections include titles authored by such influential writers as Hannah More, Mary Martha Sherwood, and Helen Cross Knight.
- Over 1,400 original sketches, drawings, watercolor paintings, and correspondence from the American Antiquarian Society’s McLoughlin Art Archive.
- Highly visual proof books which demonstrate the printing process of chromolithography.
- Visuals from the American Antiquarian Society’s Lithograph Collection.
- Examples of the board games, card games, paper dolls, and other toys that formed an integral part of children’s culture.
- Stereo photographs which echo the themes found within the literature.
- Examples of sheet music written for children.
- Rewards of merit produced by Sunday schools as a reward for good conduct.
- Graphic ephemera from the John and Carolyn Grossman Collection.
Document Types
The archival material in this resource consists of the following document types:
- Books published primarily by McLoughlin Bros and by competitors such as Fisher & Brother and E.P. Dutton. Selections include accordion books, alphabet books, chapbooks, novels, and picture books written and illustrated by influential authors such as Daniel Defoe and Louisa May Alcott, and illustrators such as Kate Greenaway and Ida Waugh. A number of first and early editions are available.
- Catalogs and order forms outlining the products that McLoughlin Bros had to offer.
- Educational books aimed for use in school and for home learning. These include atlases and geography books, spelling books, readers, primers, syllable books, and drawing or painting books.
- Religious tracts published primarily by the American Sunday School Union and the American Tract Society but including a selection from Henry Hoyt, Carlton & Porter, and other publishing houses. Selections include titles authored by such influential writers as Hannah More, Mary Martha Sherwood, and Helen Cross Knight.
- Over 1,400 original sketches, drawings, watercolor paintings, and correspondence from the American Antiquarian Society’s McLoughlin Art Archive.
- Highly visual proof books which demonstrate the printing process of chromolithography.
- Visuals from the American Antiquarian Society’s Lithograph Collection.
- Examples of the board games, card games, paper dolls, and other toys that formed an integral part of children’s culture.
- Stereo photographs which echo the themes found within the literature.
- Examples of sheet music written for children.
- Rewards of merit produced by Sunday schools as a reward for good conduct.
- Graphic ephemera from the John and Carolyn Grossman Collection.
Themes
The documents included in Children’s Literature and Culture span a range of genres of literature for children, from early forms of devotional and instructional primers through illustrated rhymes, tales, stories, novels, and picture books. Each document has been indexed by one or more of twenty broad themes, carefully discussed with the Editorial Board, with the aim of maximizing accessibility and ease of navigation and research. This enables researchers to explore a number of diverse subjects through document list filters and the Browse by Theme area:
Captures coverage of the natural world and the many instances where anthropomorphized animals are used to entertain and educate children.
Focuses on celebrations, vacations, and times of the year, such as Christmas, May Day, and the seasons.
Highlights instances of how crimes such as theft, witchcraft, and infanticide, and their consequences, are dealt with in children’s literature.
Broadly covers discussions of disability. Common subjects include blindness, deafness, mental illness, and mobility impairment.
Concentrates on instructional materials such as primers, syllable books, drawing books, and atlases, and on subjects ranging from orthography to arithmetic and spelling.
Shines a light on the interactions between children and their parents, siblings, grandparents, extended families, stepfamilies, and friends, and on areas such as widowhood, courtship, love, and marriage.
Signposts researchers towards representations of gender roles, transgender people, and gender impersonators.
Covers specific illnesses and conditions alongside subjects such as hygiene, medicine, suicide, and the death of animals.
Homes in on the ways in which children of the times occupied and amused themselves with activities from needlework and gardening to hunting and fishing, and with toys such as dolls, puppets, and bicycles.
Highlights the focus on moral conduct in children’s literature and the repercussions of ‘getting it wrong’. Obedience, truthfulness, conscience, and laziness are amongst the subjects covered.
Focuses on the geography of place, from continents and nation-states to neighborhoods and localities, and on issues of nationhood, citizenship, and patriotism.
Broadly focuses on facets of economic status, covering areas such as charity, begging, ragged schools, and bankruptcy.
Focuses on the different occupations and lines of work, from street vendors and shepherds to physicians and politicians, to which children were exposed through their books.
Material covering perceptions and representations of race and ethnicity, race relations, and racist writing.
Highlights the rich seam of material that addresses children’s interaction with religion and scripture, how religion was interpreted in everyday life, and how religion dictated moral and social behavior. These documents are heavily weighted towards western Christian denominations.
Takes researchers to representations of the enslaved and the enslaving and to content that discusses the situations and outcomes engendered by the practice.
Marks instances where children are confronted with the battle against temptation. Gluttony, avarice, and the dangers of gambling, tobacco, and alcohol are amongst the topics addressed.
Highlights coverage of voyages, rail trips, and vacations; of seafaring and pioneer life; and of different methods of travel in children’s literature.
Directs researchers towards representations of conflict and of people at war.
Provides a gateway to the written and illustrative work of women within children’s literature.
The scope of the resource also addresses the period in which detailed illustrated children’s books are mass produced for the first time. New print technologies such as chromolithography, woodblock printing, and lithography enabled a flourishing of print culture aimed at children and youth. Materials such as the McLoughlin Art Archive, the Louis Prang Chromolithographic volumes, and the lithographic prints help to build this picture.
Themes have been attributed to documents in Children’s Literature and Culture as metadata tags to enhance browsing functionality. Use the filters in View All to focus on documents relevant to your research.
Themes
The documents included in Children’s Literature and Culture span a range of genres of literature for children, from early forms of devotional and instructional primers through illustrated rhymes, tales, stories, novels, and picture books. Each document has been indexed by one or more of twenty broad themes, carefully discussed with the Editorial Board, with the aim of maximizing accessibility and ease of navigation and research. This enables researchers to explore a number of diverse subjects through document list filters and the Browse by Theme area:
Captures coverage of the natural world and the many instances where anthropomorphized animals are used to entertain and educate children.
Focuses on celebrations, vacations, and times of the year, such as Christmas, May Day, and the seasons.
Highlights instances of how crimes such as theft, witchcraft, and infanticide, and their consequences, are dealt with in children’s literature.
Broadly covers discussions of disability. Common subjects include blindness, deafness, mental illness, and mobility impairment.
Concentrates on instructional materials such as primers, syllable books, drawing books, and atlases, and on subjects ranging from orthography to arithmetic and spelling.
Shines a light on the interactions between children and their parents, siblings, grandparents, extended families, stepfamilies, and friends, and on areas such as widowhood, courtship, love, and marriage.
Signposts researchers towards representations of gender roles, transgender people, and gender impersonators.
Covers specific illnesses and conditions alongside subjects such as hygiene, medicine, suicide, and the death of animals.
Homes in on the ways in which children of the times occupied and amused themselves with activities from needlework and gardening to hunting and fishing, and with toys such as dolls, puppets, and bicycles.
Highlights the focus on moral conduct in children’s literature and the repercussions of ‘getting it wrong’. Obedience, truthfulness, conscience, and laziness are amongst the subjects covered.
Focuses on the geography of place, from continents and nation-states to neighborhoods and localities, and on issues of nationhood, citizenship, and patriotism.
Broadly focuses on facets of economic status, covering areas such as charity, begging, ragged schools, and bankruptcy.
Focuses on the different occupations and lines of work, from street vendors and shepherds to physicians and politicians, to which children were exposed through their books.
Material covering perceptions and representations of race and ethnicity, race relations, and racist writing.
Highlights the rich seam of material that addresses children’s interaction with religion and scripture, how religion was interpreted in everyday life, and how religion dictated moral and social behavior. These documents are heavily weighted towards western Christian denominations.
Takes researchers to representations of the enslaved and the enslaving and to content that discusses the situations and outcomes engendered by the practice.
Marks instances where children are confronted with the battle against temptation. Gluttony, avarice, and the dangers of gambling, tobacco, and alcohol are amongst the topics addressed.
Highlights coverage of voyages, rail trips, and vacations; of seafaring and pioneer life; and of different methods of travel in children’s literature.
Directs researchers towards representations of conflict and of people at war.
Provides a gateway to the written and illustrative work of women within children’s literature.
The scope of the resource also addresses the period in which detailed illustrated children’s books are mass produced for the first time. New print technologies such as chromolithography, woodblock printing, and lithography enabled a flourishing of print culture aimed at children and youth. Materials such as the McLoughlin Art Archive, the Louis Prang Chromolithographic volumes, and the lithographic prints help to build this picture.
Themes have been attributed to documents in Children’s Literature and Culture as metadata tags to enhance browsing functionality. Use the filters in View All to focus on documents relevant to your research.
Highlights
Within their scope, the American Antiquarian Society collections from which this resource is largely sourced are amongst the finest in the world, so their highlights are many and varied. Here you will find just a few:
- Beauties of the New-England Primer. A ubiquitous schoolbook of its time and one of the earliest titles included in Children’s Literature and Culture.
- History of the New-York African Free-Schools. A book that not only provides insight into the pre-Civil War education of free African Americans in New York, but includes examples of artistic and literary work created by young African Americans, too.
- The selection of works authored by Hannah More, the highly influential religious and moral writer and reformer.
- Visit Of St Nicholas. A festive picture book showcasing the work of well-known artist and cartoonist Thomas Nast.
- Young America’s ABC and Pretty Picture Book. A beautifully illustrated picture book designed to appeal to national pride and very much wearing its patriotic credentials on its sleeve.
- Educated Animals. The ape dressed for golf, the lion babysitter, the stag playing the harp, and the elephants striding onto the baseball field are the star players in this prime example of animals being employed to entertain and amuse.
- Little Robert and His Friend. A hidden gem of a novel, which advocates interracial understanding and friendship.
- The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe of York, Mariner. A facsimile reprint of the first edition of Daniel Defoe’s classic tale, and the earliest of many versions available within the resource.
- The Story Painting Book: The House that Jack Built. The drawing books within the resource are particularly special when used or annotated, and The Story Painting Book is a wonderful example.
- The History of Little Jane and Little Charles. This book features 1840s antebellum children’s literature and demonstrates the many ways, styles, and techniques that were being experimented with before the introduction of lithography in the 1860s.
- Whittier’s Barefooted Boy. This progressive, accordion-style proof book beautifully illustrates the process of creating a chromolithographic image.
- Chiromagica. A remarkable McLoughlin Bros board game with a magical/fortune-telling theme. Players place a question card upon a glass pane and a wizard miraculously signals the correct answers, assisted by some very carefully positioned magnets.
Highlights
Within their scope, the American Antiquarian Society collections from which this resource is largely sourced are amongst the finest in the world, so their highlights are many and varied. Here you will find just a few:
- Beauties of the New-England Primer. A ubiquitous schoolbook of its time and one of the earliest titles included in Children’s Literature and Culture.
- History of the New-York African Free-Schools. A book that not only provides insight into the pre-Civil War education of free African Americans in New York, but includes examples of artistic and literary work created by young African Americans, too.
- The selection of works authored by Hannah More, the highly influential religious and moral writer and reformer.
- Visit Of St Nicholas. A festive picture book showcasing the work of well-known artist and cartoonist Thomas Nast.
- Young America’s ABC and Pretty Picture Book. A beautifully illustrated picture book designed to appeal to national pride and very much wearing its patriotic credentials on its sleeve.
- Educated Animals. The ape dressed for golf, the lion babysitter, the stag playing the harp, and the elephants striding onto the baseball field are the star players in this prime example of animals being employed to entertain and amuse.
- Little Robert and His Friend. A hidden gem of a novel, which advocates interracial understanding and friendship.
- The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe of York, Mariner. A facsimile reprint of the first edition of Daniel Defoe’s classic tale, and the earliest of many versions available within the resource.
- The Story Painting Book: The House that Jack Built. The drawing books within the resource are particularly special when used or annotated, and The Story Painting Book is a wonderful example.
- The History of Little Jane and Little Charles. This book features 1840s antebellum children’s literature and demonstrates the many ways, styles, and techniques that were being experimented with before the introduction of lithography in the 1860s.
- Whittier’s Barefooted Boy. This progressive, accordion-style proof book beautifully illustrates the process of creating a chromolithographic image.
- Chiromagica. A remarkable McLoughlin Bros board game with a magical/fortune-telling theme. Players place a question card upon a glass pane and a wizard miraculously signals the correct answers, assisted by some very carefully positioned magnets.
Note on Metadata
The metadata accompanying the documents in Children’s Literature and Culture has been drawn from library and archive catalogs, with additional data supplemented by the AM team to facilitate browsing and searching.
The metadata fields added by AM include:
- Genre (where possible this was taken directly from the archive’s Subject data)
- Theme
- Photographer
- Language
- Library/Archive
- Copyright and Source Archive
In some cases, edits or additions have been made to metadata taken from the library and archive catalogs to improve searchability and to ensure that the language and terminology is aligned with our current editorial guidelines. This is true for the following metadata fields:
- Title
- Date
- Document Type
- Author
- Publisher
- Place
- Imprint
- Illustrator
- Subjects
- Description
- Additional Notes
- Catalog Notes
- American Antiquarian Society Copy Notes
- Page Numbers
- Book Type
- Medium
- Size
For more information on language and terminology within this resource, please see our Language Statement.
Note on Metadata
The metadata accompanying the documents in Children’s Literature and Culture has been drawn from library and archive catalogs, with additional data supplemented by the AM team to facilitate browsing and searching.
The metadata fields added by AM include:
- Genre (where possible this was taken directly from the archive’s Subject data)
- Theme
- Photographer
- Language
- Library/Archive
- Copyright and Source Archive
In some cases, edits or additions have been made to metadata taken from the library and archive catalogs to improve searchability and to ensure that the language and terminology is aligned with our current editorial guidelines. This is true for the following metadata fields:
- Title
- Date
- Document Type
- Author
- Publisher
- Place
- Imprint
- Illustrator
- Subjects
- Description
- Additional Notes
- Catalog Notes
- American Antiquarian Society Copy Notes
- Page Numbers
- Book Type
- Medium
- Size
For more information on language and terminology within this resource, please see our Language Statement.
Research and Teaching
A variety of research tools provide further contextual information or guidance for teaching and research. From essays and video interviews to biographies and exhibitions, explore the options under Research Tools or view the full list in Teaching Tools.
Research and Teaching
A variety of research tools provide further contextual information or guidance for teaching and research. From essays and video interviews to biographies and exhibitions, explore the options under Research Tools or view the full list in Teaching Tools.