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