Nans van Leeuwen (23 December 1900 – 1 January 1995) was a prolific Dutch illustrator and author of children's books.

Life

Ferdinanda Emilia 'Nans' van Leeuwen was born in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

, the daughter of Klaas van Leeuwen, a painter and teacher. She graduated from the

Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten The Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten (State Academy of Fine Arts) was founded in 1870 in Amsterdam. It is a classical academy, a place where philosophers, academics and artists meet to test and exchange ideas and knowledge. The school supports ...

(State Academy of Fine Arts) in Amsterdam in 1922. She moved to Rotterdam, where she taught at a girls' school from 1922 to 1962. She began illustrating children's books in the 1920s for other authors, and she eventually began to write and illustrate her own books. She is best known as the illustrator of a series of children's books featuring a goblin named Piggelmee that were published as a form of advertising by the Van Nelle coffee company in the 1930s and 1940s. The first of the Piggelmee books, ''Het tovervisje'' (Witchcraft, 1949), was based on a story by the

Brothers Grimm The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859), were a brother duo of German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers, and authors who together collected and published folklore. They are among the ...

. Following this came ''De wonderschelp'' (The Wonder Shells, 1950), which was written in verse, and ''De Baas van Bos en Duin'' (The Boss of Forest and Dune, 1951). Her career spanned three decades, with her last work being published in the late 1950s. Her style ranged from one that was strongly linear and akin to that of illustrators such as

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Rie Cramer Marie "Rie" Cramer (10 October 1887 – 16 July 1977) was a Dutch writer and prolific illustrator of children's literature whose style is considered iconic for the interwar period. For many years, she was one of the two main illustrators for a lead ...

, and Mabel Betsy Hill to a softer style built on color washes.

Illustrated works

Written by van Leeuwen

* ''Sneeuwpret'' (Snow Fun) * ''Sinterklaas is jarig'' (Sinter Klaas is a Year Old) * ''Schoonmaak bij de muisjes'' (Cleaning at the Mouse House) * ''De muizen gaan verhuizen!'' (The Mice Are Moving!) * ''De sneeuwman van Jaap en Jetje'' (The Snowmen of Jaap and Jetje) * ''Lotje in luilekkerland'' (Lotje in Good Luck Land) * ''Het verdwaalde eendje'' (The Lost Duckling) * ''Het feest van de tuinkabouter'' (The Gardener's Party) * ''A Rainy Day'' (1950) * '' Moeder Muis houdt grote schoonmaak'' (published in English as ''Spring Cleaning with Mrs. Mouse'', 1950)

Written by other authors

* ''Bobtail's Adventure'' by Maggy Larissa (1963) *''Change Penny'' by

Geertruida Vladeracken Geertruida van Vladeracken (18 April 1880 – 2 January 1947) was a Dutch composer, singer, and writer. Vladeracken was born in Haarlem to Gerard Pieter van Vladeracken and Jacoba Elisabeth Foreest van Vladeracken. She had three siblings. She stu ...

* ''Die kinderen van de grote fjeld'' (The Children of the Great Mountain) by Laura Fitinghoff * ''Die toverende tweeling'' (The Devout Twins) by Tiny Broekman (1958) * ''Pussy-cat School'' by Maggy Larissa (1963) * ''The Animal Ski School'' by Maggy Larissa (1963) * ''The Happy Gnomes'' by Maggy Larissa (1963) * ''The Naughty Clown'' by Maggy Larissa (1963) * ''The Naughty Harlequin'' by Maggy Larissa (1963) * ''The Nightingale'' by Maggy Larissa (1965) * ''The Toy Bear's Train'' by Maggy Larissa (1963) * ''The Woman in the Moon'' by Maggy Larissa (1963) * ''The Goblin Party'' (1963) * ''The Happy Tale of Monty Mouse'' (1969) *''Who Else Reads to Me?'' by

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leeuwen, Nans van 1900 births 1995 deaths Artists from Amsterdam Dutch children's book illustrators Dutch children's writers Dutch women children's writers Dutch comics artists Dutch female comics artists Dutch illustrators Dutch women illustrators Writers from Amsterdam Writers who illustrated their own writing 20th-century Dutch women artists