Portrait of Thomas Handforth LCCN2004662978

Thomas Scofield Handforth (September 16, 1897 – October 19, 1948) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

artist and

etcher Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...

. He wrote and illustrated the

children's A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...

picture book A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The images ...

Mei Li ''Mei Li'' (also called ''Mei Li's Chinese New Year'') is a book by Thomas Handforth. Released by Doubleday (publisher), Doubleday, it was the second recipient of the Caldecott Medal for illustration in 1939.American Library AssociationCaldecott ...

'' based on personal experience in China and won the 1939

Caldecott Medal The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service ...

for illustration. ''Mei Li'' is about a girl who escapes her traditional life in the Chinese countryside to visit a

Chinese New Year Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar and solar Chinese calendar. In Sinophone, Chinese and other East Asian cultures, the festival is commonly r ...

fair. It has been reissued since 1938 and Handforth's magnificent drawings of China in the 1930s are still animated and compelling. In 1939, he was considered an expert on Asian art. Books he illustrated included in ''Sidonie'', ''Totou in Bondage'' and ''Tranquilinas Paradise''. He was born in

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...

, and studied art at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

. During World War I, he served in France with the anatomical unit in the Army's Sanitary Corps. He later studied art at L'Ecole des Beaux Arts in France. He lived in various locations, such as Paris, India, North Africa, Mexico, and China.

References

External links

Art by Thomas Handforth at the Smithsonian American Art Museum"Thomas Handforth, China, and the real Mei Li"Art by Thomas Handforth in the Seattle Public Library's Northwest Art Collection
1897 births 1948 deaths Artists from Washington (state) American printmakers American etchers Caldecott Medal winners American children's book illustrators Writers from Tacoma, Washington Artists from Tacoma, Washington American people of World War I {{printmaker-stub