At Flower Farm Written by Jane Holloway. Pictures in Color by Alice Beard. Pen Drawings by Gertrude A. Kay. 1909. Published by Edward Stern & Co., Inc. (Philadelphia) Measures 11.25 in. X 8.5 in., with 71 pages. Includes 4 full-color plates by Alice Beard, along with 5 full-page and 10 half-page pen drawings by Gertrude Kay.

This is a sweet little vintage children's book by Jane Holloway.

This excerpt from a 1912 edition of  The Publishers' Weekly states: "A delightful tale about four children at "Flower Farm" for a vacation, and the good times they have with all the animals, who, as well as the children, are made interesting. A splendid story, sparkling with fun, and full of the real child spirit."

That spirit is perfectly captured in the whimsical illustrations of both Alice Beard and Gertrude A. Kay. Beard was a lesser-known artist and therefore, we don't know much of her life. She was a student of Howard Pyle at the Brandywine School of Illustrators. She was born in Cincinnati and spent most of her life in New York City, creating illustrations and genre paintings with strong color and action figures. Her illustrations in this book add much life and whimsy to the characters portrayed.

Gertrude Alice Kay (1884-1939) wrote and illustrated articles for the Ladies’ Home Journal called “Adventures in Geography.”  In 1923, Kay illustrated a popular version of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland. She also painted in the American Southwest, and produced colourful illustrations of Native American and Hispanic children. Ever a keen landscape watercolourist, she exhibited at the Art Institute in Chicago, the Plastic Club in Philadelphia, and the New York Watercolour Club. 

This little children's book would make a very unique gift or a lovely addition to any collection.

Please reach out with any additional questions!