Elsa Beskow

Elsa Beskow ( Maartman; 11February 187430June 1953) was a famous Swedish author and illustrator of children's books. Among her better known books are Tale of the Little Little Old Woman and Aunt Green, Aunt Brown and Aunt Lavender.

Background Born in Stockholm her parents were businessman Bernt Maartman (1841–1889), whose family came from Bergen, Norway, and teacher Augusta Fahlstedt (1850–1915). Beskow studied Art Education at Konstfack, University College of Arts, Crafts and Design, then called Tekniska skolan, or the Technical school, in Stockholm.

She married former minister and social worker, doctor of theology Natanael Beskow in 1897. Elsa Beskow met her future husband at Djursholms samskola while serving as a teacher where he served as head master. From 1900 they lived in Villa Ekeliden in Djursholm which had initially been built for the author Viktor Rydberg. They had six sons, including the artist Bo Beskow (1906–1989) and geologist Gunnar Beskow (1901–1991).

Career In 1894 Beskow started to contribute to the children's magazine Jultomten. She ultimately began publishing her own books, doing both illustration and text. Overall, she would publish some forty books with her own text and images.

Beskow frequently combined reality with elements from the fairy tale world. Children meet elves or goblins, and farm animals talk with people. Central themes were the relationships between children and adults and children's independent initiative. Her work "depicted a happy home atmosphere in the Swedish countryside of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries."

Beskow became one of the most well known of all Swedish children's book artists. Many of her books became classics and are continually reprinted. Beskow also illustrated ABC books and songbooks for Swedish schools. Her book pages are often framed by decorative framework of the Art Nouveau style.

Beskow received "international recognition for simple, cheerful stories and outstanding illustrations."

Selected works

Tale of the Little Little Old Woman, 1897 Children from Solbacka, 1898 Peter in Blueberry Land, 1901 Olle's ski trip, 1907 Children of the Forest, 1910 Pelle's New Suit, 1912 Flower Festival in the Hill, 1914 George's book, 1916 Aunt Green, Aunt Brown and Aunt Lavender, 1918 Little Lasse in the garden, 1920 Baby Brother's sailing journey, 1921 Bubble Muck, 1921 Grandma's quilt, 1922

Christopher's harvest time, 1923 Aunt Brown's Birthday, 1925 Jan and all his friends, 1928 Hat Cottage, 1930 Grandma and-down Light, 1930 Around the year, 1931 Buddy's Adventures in the Blueberry Patch, 1931 The Sun Egg, 1932 Woody, Hazel & Little Pip, 1939 Talented Annika, 1941 Uncle Blue's New Boat, 1942 Peter and Lotta's Adventure, 1947 Red bus, green car, 1952