Lloyd E. Cotsen (1929-2017): A Gift in His Memory from the Friends of the Princeton University Library

Lloyd E. Cotsen slipped away on May 8th after eighty-eight years of  life lived to the fullest–digging for antiquities, selling soap in the package he designed, and flying around the world on business, which also included tracking down Japanese ikebana baskets, folk art and textiles for the corporation’s art collection.  Then there was the parallel project of amassing of illustrated children’s books from around the world and through time, original artwork, prints, educational toys, and all kinds of other wonderful and surprising things that became the research collection of the Cotsen Children’s Library in Firestone.  Mr. Cotsen’s energy was as legendary as his generosity–not just with money, but with time and most importantly, of himself.

To honor him  as one of the Princeton University Library’s greatest donors, the Friends  have presented to the Cotsen Children’s Library with a magnificent pen-and-ink drawing  by one of Mr. Cotsen’s favorite illustrators, Charles Robinson (1870-1937).

Charles was the son of an artist and his two brothers Thomas Heath and William Heath Robinson were also gifted artists in their own right. Charles illustrated many children’s books, including Aesop’s fables, Mother Goose, the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson, Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden, and Robert Louis Stevenson’s A Child’s Garden of Verses.  Robinson’s books are well represented in the Cotsen collection along with three picture letters to the daughter of a fellow artist and the finished artwork for two books, Songs of Love and Praise (1907) and The Reign of King Oberon.(1902).


The large drawing the Friends have presented to Cotsen  is signed “Charles Robinson 1916” and mounted on board. It was in a private collection for half a century before being purchased by the Friends.  It is a wonderful example of Robinson’s characteristic attention to layout, framing, and lettering.  Mr. Cotsen was always attracted to pictures of children reading and I’m sure he would have been enchanted by this one of a pretty girl with light shoulder-length hair seated on a divan who has dropped a nursery rhyme picture book on the floor.

Detail of the open book at the girl’s feet. [Pen and ink drawing of reader daydreaming]. [London?]: Charles Robinson, 1916. (Cotsen 7659917)

She seems to be daydreaming and the characters that populate in her mind are projected on the wall behind her.

Detail showing the head of a strange beast with horns concealed in the foliage covering the walls of the castle, and the fair lady watching the progress of the handsome young man on horseback.

For some reason, Robinson decided to redraw the girl’s head on a different paper stock, which was carefully cut out, and pasted over the original one.

The sixty-four dollar question is, was this image ever published?  Was it a design for an annual cover?  A poster?  Where did it appear? Some lucky person will have the fun of discovering more about the creation of this  lovely tribute to children who love stories.

A heartfelt thank you to the Friends for such a thoughtful, appropriate tribute to our founder, whose spirit will always be a source of inspiration and creativity to us at Cotsen.

When an Artist Can’t Sleep: A Gift of Marcia Brown’s Drawings from John and Penny Solum

A portrait of Marcia Brown, winner of three Caldecott Medals, six Caldecott Honors, and twice nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award.

The papers of the celebrated American author/illustrator Marcia Brown (1918-2015) can be consulted in the special collections department of SUNY Albany, her alma mater.  But not everything is there now.  Today the Cotsen Children’s Library received a very special gift of Brown’s drawings from her long-time friends John  and Penny Solum, who are on campus this weekend for Reunions.  Earlier this year John and Penny had promised to deliver them to Firestone Friday morning before they went off to attend the festivities.

The Solums explained that after Marcia moved to Laguna Hills in California one of the ways she kept in touch was by sending special illustrated messages on birthdays or holidays.  I was expecting something like handmade cards inscribed with very personal messages.  Nothing that ordinary!  What Marcia made were a series of little albums, filled with colorful abstract drawings which she drew sitting on the edge of her bed when she couldn’t sleep.  We should all make such good use our time when we’re up in the middle of the night.

The style of her night drawings is delightfully different from the artwork in the picture books that made her famous.  It is fascinating to see how many styles an artist likes to work in.

The 1962 Caldecott winner, which just so happens to be about a tiger…

This picture of Cinderella from Brown’s 1955 Caldecott winner transported me as a child. I still think it beats a Disney princess cold!

Here are some samples from four of the albums the Solums brought today…  This one was sent at Christmas time in 2010.

And for Christmas 2011.

A third Christmas offering, but the inscription isn’t dated.

Last but not least, an Easter basket for the Solums.

Thank you, John and Penny, for comin’ back to Reunions this year!