Carmen L. Browne (March 29, 1895 – April 11, 1992) was an early twentieth century author and illustrator, particularly of children's books.Shaw, John MacKay. ''Childhood in Poetry.'' Tallahassee: Friends of the Library, Florida State University, 1970.

Early life and education

Browne was born on March 29, 1895, in

Calumet, Michigan Calumet ( or ) is a village in Calumet Township, Houghton County, in the U.S. state of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, that was once at the center of the mining industry of the Upper Peninsula. Also known as Red Jacket, the village includes the C ...

. She attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the

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 ...

Career

Illustration from Sunny Rhymes for Happy Children

Browne created illustrations for books and greeting cards for the

P. F. Volland Company P. F. Volland Company of Chicago, Illinois published poetry books, greeting cards,''The American Stationer and Office Outfitter'', Volume 90, page 8. music, children's books, calendars, cookbooks, and children's occupational games, between 1908 a ...

. Her illustrations were described as "light and dainty", "difficult to surpass in sheer loveliness", "apt pictures .. to please the wee ones", "assisting the text admirably, designed as they are to delight the child's heart," and as making "appropriate" gift books for "little friends and relatives. She also designed wallpaper patterns for children, and invented an educational doll apparatus, "to associate with a doll educational matter which is commonly presented in unattractive, formal lessons." Her lithographs, some of which were shown at the Ninth International Print Makers' Exhibition in 1928, were described as "amusing and very expert". A 1927 ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' review of a group show at the National Art Club described a Browne image of a girl pulling weeds as being "as true to nature as

Millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets al ...

tried to make his peasant girls," and a Browne nude as, "a fine abstraction" that "removes all superfluous details and gives a chance for beautiful rhythm of movement."

Personal life

Browne married Jesse Augustus Luckner (1891-1975) in 1945.

Death

Browne died on April 11, 1992, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Selected works

* Miller, Olive Beaupré, and Carmen L. Brown. ''Sunny Rhymes for Happy Children''. New York: P. F. Volland Co, 1917. *Miller, Olive Beaupré, and Carmen L. Brown. ''Come Play with Me''. Joliet, Illinois: P. F. Volland Company, 1918. *Haynes, Louise Marshall, and Carmen Browne. ''Over the Rainbow Bridge''. Chicago: P. F. Volland Company, 1920. *Browne, Carmen. ''My Book of Pets''. Chicago: Volland Company, 1923. *Browne, Carmen. ''A Day of Play''. Joliet, Illinois: Published by P.F. Volland Company, 1923. *Kilner, Colleen Browne, and Carmen L. Browne. ''La-La Man In Music-Land''. Boston: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1927. *Luckner, Carmen Browne, Matthew Ware and Ronald H. Bayes. ''A gift of light.'' Laurinburg, N.C.: St. Andrews Press, 1993.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Browne, Carmen L. American women illustrators 1895 births 1992 deaths School of the Art Institute of Chicago alumni Art Students League of New York alumni American children's book illustrators 20th-century American women artists People from Calumet, Michigan Artists from Michigan