Bessie Pease Gutmann (1876 – 1960) was an American artist and

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...

, most noted for her paintings of

putti A putto (; plural putti ) is a figure in a work of art depicted as a chubby male child, usually naked and sometimes winged. Originally limited to profane passions in symbolism,Dempsey, Charles. ''Inventing the Renaissance Putto''. University of ...

, infants, and young children. During the early 1900s she was one of the better-known magazine and book illustrators in the United States. Her artwork was featured on 22 magazine covers such as ''

Woman's Home Companion ''Woman's Home Companion'' was an American monthly magazine, published from 1873 to 1957. It was highly successful, climbing to a circulation peak of more than four million during the 1930s and 1940s. The magazine, headquartered in Springfield, O ...

'' and ''

McCall's ''McCall's'' was a monthly American women's magazine, published by the McCall Corporation, that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of 8.4 million in the early 1960s. It was established as a small-for ...

'' between 1906 and 1920. She also illustrated popular children's books including a notable 1907 edition of ''

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland), Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a ...

''. Although the commercial popularity of Gutmann's art declined during World War II, there was renewed interest in her illustrations from collectors by the late 20th century. "Bessie Pease Gutmann ''Lorelei'' and Wallace Nutting furniture top Ivankovich's March Auction", ''Antiques & Collecting Magazine'', June 1, 1999. BessiePeaseGuttman Alice in Wonderland

Early life and education

Gutmann was born Bessie Collins Pease on April 8, 1876, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Horace Collins Pease and Margaretta Pease (). Commire, Anne, ed., ''Something about the Author'', Gale Research, 1992, p. 92, . After graduating from high school, she studied at the

Philadelphia School of Design for Women Philadelphia School of Design for Women (1848–1932) was an art school for women in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Housed in the former Edwin Forrest House at 1346 North Broad Street, under the directorship of Emily Sartain (1886–1920), ...

. From 1896 to 1898, she attended the

New York School of Art Parsons School of Design, known colloquially as Parsons, is a private art and design college located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Founded in 1896 after a group of progressive artists broke away from established Manhatt ...

(later Parsons, The New School), and attended

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school at 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may stu ...

from 1899 to 1901.

Career

Gutmann initially worked as an independent commercial artist drawing portraits and newspapers advertisements. In 1903, she gained employment with the publishing firm of Gutmann & Gutmann which specialized in fine art prints. The first children's book she illustrated was a 1905 edition of ''

A Child's Garden of Verses ''A Child's Garden of Verses'' is an 1885 volume of 64 poems for children by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It has been reprinted many times, often in illustrated versions, and is considered to be one of the most influential child ...

'' by

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...

. Gutmann illustrated several more books including a notable 1907 version of

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequel ...

's ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''. She also created artwork for postcards and calendars, and her art adorned 22 magazine covers for ''

'', ''

Collier's ''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened in 1905 to ''Collie ...

'', ''

'', and ''

Pictorial Review The ''Pictorial Review'' was an American women's magazine published from 1899 to 1939. Based in New York, the ''Pictorial Review'' was first published in September 1899. The magazine was originally designed to showcase dress patterns of German i ...

'', among others. Her greatest recognition came from a series of hand-colored prints which highlighted the innocence of young children. Two of her most notable works were ''A Little Bit of Heaven'' and ''The Awakening'' which both focused on the face and hands of an infant tucked under a blanket. Gutmann's work was popular through the 1920s but interest in her style declined before World War II. Due to failing eyesight, she retired from drawing in 1947.

Personal life

In 1906 Gutmann married Hellmuth Gutmann, one of the brothers who co-owned the publishing firm where she was employed. The couple moved to South Orange, New Jersey (378 West End Road) in 1909. Thereafter, they had three children, Alice, Lucille, and John, who became the models for her illustrations. She died on September 29, 1960, in

Centerport, New York Centerport is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Suffolk County, New York, United States, on the notably affluent North Shore of Long Island, historically known as the Gold Coast. Formerly known as Little Cow Harbor in about 1700, as C ...

, at the age of 84.

Illustrated works

Original editions

As Bessie Collins Pease: * Robert Louis Stevenson, ''A Child's Garden of Verses'', New York: Dodge Publishing Co. (1905), * Edmund Vance Cooke, "The Biography of our Baby", Dodge (1906) As Bessie Pease Gutmann: *Edith Dunham ''The Diary of a Mouse'', Dodge (1907), *Lewis Carroll, ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'', Dodge (1907) ; reissued New York: Children's Classics, Crown (1988), *Lewis Carroll, ''Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There'', Dodge (1909), *Bessie Pease Gutmann, ''Golden Hours'', New York: Hurst & Co. (1912),

Posthumous collections

*''Nursery Songs & Lullabies'', New York : Grosset & Dunlap (1990) *''Nursery Poems & Prayers'', Grosset & Dunlap (1990) *''I Love You: Verses & Sweet Sayings'', Grosset & Dunlap (1991) *''My Sweet Girl'', Eugene, Ore.: Harvest House (2005)

References

External links

* *
Color plates by Gutmann
(10) for a 1907 edition of ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gutmann, Bessie Pease 19th-century American painters 20th-century American painters American children's book illustrators 1876 births 1960 deaths Philadelphia School of Design for Women alumni American women painters