a peek inside the fishbowl

27 Nov, 2006

Vintage children’s illustrations: portrayal of a typical mom?

Posted by andrea tomkins in: - Thrifty is nifty| Oh! Things!

I picked up this book for about a quarter at a local thrift shop. If I had stopped at the cover I would have given it a pass.

It’s called “My Clock Book” and the cover illustration is an uninspired 1970’s sketch of children gathered around a pile of clocks.

“Originally entititled WHAT TIME IS IT?” is written near the bottom of the cover. This is what caught my eye. I pulled it off the shelf and flipped it open. It all became clear. The publisher took the 1954 version of “What time is it”, changed the title (what was wrong with the old one?) and plunked an updated cover on it. But the illustrations inside remained the same. Budget troubles, perhaps? I don’t know, but they’re all like this:

Illo from My Clock Book

The quality of illustration in these old books is wonderful. There is a certain innocence I really like. Books like this are like a time capsule of society’s expectations, aren’t they? I mean, how many moms are out shopping at 10:00 a.m … dressed to the nines (in heels!), rosy-cheeked and beaming with love and patience for their adoring children?

Ha. I love it.

Related posts:

  1. >A chrismukkah-solstice-holiday gift for booklovin’ folks and your families It's December 15 and I'm in Gift Giving Mode.  And I...
  2. >Q & A with creative powerhouse, Amanda Sage Some time ago I received an email from a local...
  3. >Fishbowl gift guide: this time we’re talkin’ books for tweens I went to the Pinecrest Chapters last night to take...
  4. >I’m doin’ the pigeon (subtitle: thank you!) Gifts are great. I am a gift lover - I...

Tags:

Print this post Print this post

2 Responses to "Vintage children’s illustrations: portrayal of a typical mom?"

1 | Marla

November 27th, 2006 at 10:54 am

Avatar

She is only happy because she is about to bonk her smarmy son on the head with that piece of fruit. He knows it’s coming. Look at him. It’s happened before.

2 | Anna

November 27th, 2006 at 3:10 pm

Avatar

I’ve got these photos of my mom when I was just born. She’s dressed like Jackie O, pill-box hat, gloves and little tweeds suit…pushing the pram! You guess it right, those were the days before the 70′ies kicked in. And also the days before yoga pants and lattes.

Sometimes if I’m having a “can barely pull myself together day”, I think of my mom in 1966. ;-)

Anna

comment form:

Patronatus

Click for more info about AliCatArt


TD Family Adventures Series at NAC Ottawa


Summer fun at Saunders Farm!


Visit the Extraordinary Arctic at the Canadian Museum of Nature


Funhaven - Ottawa's destination for birthday parties


Nacoille Studio - handmade in Ottawa


Your Ottawa source for eco-friendly cosmetics, personal products, clothing, household goods, and more


Ottawa art lessons and workshops


Ottawa art lessons and workshops


Click me!


Archives

Stay in touch



Me and my pet projects


bucketlist


etc.


  • valerie: I'm afraid I've been kind of lax. The kids mostly look at videos I've sent them, look up songs that they've learned in music class at school, or watc
  • Kids and YouTube >> a peek inside the fishbowl: [...] couple years ago I wrote a post called Kid-friendly YouTube videos: help me make a list. Thanks to reader comments it actually became a pretty g
  • Carly: Whenever we ask the Little Man what indoor adventure he'd like to have, he always choses the Children's Museum. Always. It's so hard to chose just one
  • andrea tomkins: Those are all VERY happy things! Thanks for sharing everyone!
  • Nora from Kanata: Hey, Mimi! Obviously the stranger who yelled that you were cool probably knew that this week is "Worldwide Knit in Public Week." I started knitting a
  • Ginger: This is making me happy today... https://ginger-swanner.squarespace.com/the-small-moments1/2013/6/17/7-years-today And this shot from our vacati
  • Jen Hughes: Good for families to know when visiting the Mill of Kintail: there is also a pretty decent playground! Our kids go to daycamp there for a week each su

My right hand is actually a camera

  • Cilantro problem - solved!
  • Cilantro problem - solved!
  • Cilantro problem - solved!
  • Terrier beards are the best
  • June 19 #dailylunches :  Zingy Thai-style wrap! This one's a KEEPER folks.
  • June 18 #dailylunches - Alfredo linguine and meatballs
  • Crumbling brick
  • DIY moss terrarium

The Obligatory Blurb

Thank you for visiting! My name is Andrea and I live in the Westboro area of Ottawa with my husband Mark and our two daughters Emma (14) and Sarah (12). I've been blogging since 1999, which makes me either a total dinosaur or a veteran of the Canadian blog scene, I'm not sure which! The Fishbowl is my whiteboard, water cooler, and journal, all rolled into one. I am the Managing Editor of Capital Parent Newspaper but also make my living doing a bunch of other fun things. I'm passionate about healthy living, arts and culture, family travel, good food, and sharing the best of Ottawa for parents and kids. I also love vegetables, photography, gadgets, and great design.

If you'd like to contact me, please use this form. If you're so inclined, you can read more about me here.

 


Connect with me at these places too!

Sideblog

Reading, recommending...

All hail the mighty Twitter

A year ago today

Follow the Fishbowl's companion page on Facebook

Got kids in Ottawa? These posts might be worth a click too:

Let's stick a pin in that

Carmen Chaise

Mid-Century Modern i

Yard Sale Jar Turns

My new fave salad co

More Pins