A Biography of Robert Lawson, 1892-1957

Robert Lawson, born in New York in 1892, is special in the history of American art and literature because he is the only person to ever win both the Newberry and Caldecott awards. Robert Lawson attended New York School of Fine and Applied Arts, 1911-14. After his education, he actually served in the first World War designing camouflage for the military. In 1922, he married Mary Abrams a fellow writer and illustrator who eventually died one year before he did in 1956. Robert Lawson illustrated for magazines as well as wrote and published his own books. Lawson's most notable accomplishment during the 1930's was illustrating Munro Leaf's Story of Ferdinand (1936). Although much of Lawson's work is described as children's literature or illustrations, he did not necessarily view it this way. In describing his own work, he stated, "I have never, as far as I can remember, given one moment's thought as to whether any drawing that I was doing was for adults or children. I have never changed one conception or line or detail to suit the supposed age of the readers," (Hornbook, 1940)

References:

Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2008. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2008.

"Robert Lawson." St. James Guide to Children's Writers, 5th ed. St. James Press, 1999.

"Robert Ripley Lawson." Dictionary of American Biography, Supplement 6: 1956-1960. American Council of Learned Societies, 1980.

As illustrator:

Chester, George Randolph, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). The Wonderful Adventures of Little Prince Toofat. New York: James A. McCann, 1922

Mason, Arthur, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). The Wee Men of Ballywooden. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Doran, 1930; New York: Viking Press, 1952 1930

Bianco, Margery Williams, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). "The House That Grew Small." St. Nicholas Magazine 58 (September 1931): 764-66, 782-83. 1931

Mason, Arthur, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). From the Horn of the Moon. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Doran, 1931. Excerpted as "Moving of the Bog," St. Nicholas Magazine 58 (July 1931): 644-47, 667-70. 1931

Mason, Arthur, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). The Roving Lobster. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Doran, 1931

Untermeyer, Louis, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). "The Donkey of God." St. Nicholas Magazine 59 (December 1931): 59-61, 105-108. 1931

Ring, Barbara, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). Peik. Translated by Lorence Munson Woodside. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1932

Young, Ella, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). The Unicorn with Silver Shoes. New York: Longmans, Green, 1932

Bianco, Margery Williams, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). The Hurdy-Gurdy Man. New York: Oxford University Press, 1933

Marquand, John P., Robert Lawson (Illustrator). Haven's End. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1933

Haines, William Wister, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). Slim. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1934

Tarn, William Woodthorpe, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). The Treasure of the Isle of Mist. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1934

Bates, Helen Dixon, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). Betsy Ross. New York: Whittlesey House and McGraw- Hill, 1936

Bates, Helen Dixon, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). Francis Scott Key. New York: Whittlesey House and McGraw-Hill, 1936

Gale, Elizabeth, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). Seven Beads of Wampum. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1936

Glenn, Mabelle, et al., eds. , Robert Lawson (Illustrator). Tunes and Harmonies. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1936

Leaf, Munro, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). The Story of Ferdinand. New York: Viking Press, 1936

Sterne, Emma Gelders, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). Drums of Monmouth. New York: Dodd, Mead &Co., 1936

Barnes, Ruth A., ed., Robert Lawson (Illustrator). I Hear America Singing: An Anthology of Folk Poetry. Chicago: John C. Winston Co. and the Junior Literary Guild, 1937

Bowie, Walter Russell, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). The Story of Jesus for Young People. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1937

Brewton, John E., Robert Lawson (Illustrator). Under the Tent of the Sky: A Collection of Poems about Animals Large and Small. New York: Macmillan, 1937

Cormack, Maribelle, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). Wind of the Vikings: A Tale of the Orkney Isles. New York: D. Appleton-Century, 1937

Fish, Helen Dean, ed. , Robert Lawson (Illustrator). Four and Twenty Blackbirds: Nursery Rhymes of Yesterday Recalled for Children of To-Day. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1937

Kissin, Rita, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). Pete the Pelican. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1937

Rosmer, Jean, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). In Secret Service: A Mystery Story of Napoleon's Court. Translated by Virginia Olcott. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1937

Sterne, Emma Gelders, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). Miranda Is a Princess: A Story of Old Spain. New York: Dodd, Mead &Co., 1937

Stratton, Clarence, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). Swords and Statues: A Tale of Sixteenth Century Italy. New York: John C. Winston Co. and the Junior Literary Guild, 1937

Twain, Mark, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). The Prince and the Pauper. Chicago: John C. Winston Co., 1937

Atwater, Richard, and Florence Atwater, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). Mr. Popper's Penguins. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1938

Dickens, Charles, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). A Tale of Two Cities. Boston: Ginn, 1938

Farjeon, Eleanor, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). One Foot in Fairyland. New York: F. A. Stokes, 1938

Haines, William Wister, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). High Tension. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1938

Leaf, Munro, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). Wee Gillis. New York: Viking Press, 1938 Lawson, Robert. Ben and Me. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1939

Bunyan, John, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). Pilgrim's Progress. Text revised by Mary Godolphin. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1939

White, T. H. , Robert Lawson (Illustrator). The Sword in the Stone. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1939

Brewton, John E, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). Gaily We Parade: A Collection of Poems about People, Here, There and Everywhere. New York:Macmillan, 1940

Leaf, Munro, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). Aesop's Fables. New York: Heritage Press, 1941

Leaf, Munro, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). The Story of Simpson and Sampson. New York: Viking Press, 1941

Forester, C. S. , Robert Lawson (Illustrator). Poo-Poo and the Dragons. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1942

Gray, Elizabeth Janet, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). Adam of the Road. New York: Viking, 1942

Lang, Andrew, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). Prince Prigio. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1942

Stephens, James, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). The Crock of Gold. New York: Limited Editions Club, 1942

Hall, William, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). The Shoelace Robin. New York: Thomas Y Crowell, 1945

Robinson, Tom, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). Greylock and-the Robins. New York: Viking Press and the Junior Literary Guild, 1946

Neilson, Frances F., and Winthrop Neilson, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). Benjamin Franklin. Reader in Real People Series. New York: Row, Peterson, 1950

Potter, Mary A., et al. , Robert Lawson (Illustrator). Mathematics for Success. Boston: Ginn, 1952

Coatsworth, Elizabeth, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). The Golden Horseshoe. New York: Macmillan, 1935; rev. ed., 1968.

Teal, Val, Robert Lawson (Illustrator). The Little Woman Wanted Noise. New York: Rand McNally, 1943; rev. ed., 1967.

As author:

Lawson, Robert. Just for Fun: A Collection of Stories and Verses. Chicago: Rand McNally, 1940

Lawson, Robert. They Were Strong and Good. New York: Viking, 1940; rev. ed., 1968

Lawson, Robert. I Discover Columbus. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1941

Lawson, Robert. Watchwords of Liberty. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1943; rev. ed., 1957

Lawson, Robert. Country Colic. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1944

Lawson, Robert. Rabbit Hill. New York: Viking, 1944

Lawson, Robert. Mr. Wilmer. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1945

Lawson, Robert. At That Time. New York: Viking, 1947

Lawson, Robert. Mr. Twigg's Mistake. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1947

Lawson, Robert. Robbut: A Tale of Tails. New York: Viking, 1948

Lawson, Robert. Dick Whittington and His Cat. New York: Limited Editions Club, 1949

Lawson, Robert. The Fabulous Flight. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1949

Lawson, Robert. Smeller Martin. New York: Viking, 1950

Lawson, Robert. McWhinney's Jaunt. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1951

Lawson, Robert. Edward, Hoppy and Joe. New York: Knopf 1952

Lawson, Robert. Mr. Revere and I. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1953

Lawson, Robert. The Tough Winter. New York: Viking, 1954

Lawson, Robert. Captain Kidd's Cat. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1956

Lawson, Robert. The Great Wheel. New York: Viking, 1957