Tasha Tudor

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Tasha Tudor [Starling Burgess]

Born August 28, 1915 (1915-08-28) (age 92)
Boston, Massachusetts
Occupation Author and illustrator
Writing period 20th Century
Genres Children's, regional painting
Subjects New England nostalgia
Influences
Official website

Tasha Tudor (born Starling Burgess in Boston, Massachusetts, on August 28, 1915) is an American illustrator and author of children's books.

Contents

[edit] Biography

At birth, she was named for her father, the naval architect Starling Burgess, known as "the Skipper". As he was an admirer of War and Peace 's Natasha, she was soon re-christened, and the name was eventually shortened to Tasha. When socializing with her mother's friends, she would usually be introduced as "Rosamund Tudor's daughter, Tasha", leading others to believe that her last name was Tudor. Liking the sound of it, she eventually adopted the name for herself, and she eventually changed her name legally before applying for a passport.[1] She married Thomas McCready in 1938 in Redding, Connecticut. Her first story, Pumpkin Moonshine, was published in 1938, as a gift for a young niece of her husband. They were divorced in 1961, and her children adopted her name. A later marriage, to Allan John Woods, lasted only a brief time.[2]

She has illustrated nearly one hundred books, the most recent being Corgiville Christmas, released in 2003. Several were collaborative works with a New Hampshire friend Mary Mason Campbell. Tudor lives in Marlboro, Vermont in a house copied from that of other New Hampshire friends Donn & Doris Purvis. Her son Seth built the replication and lives next door with his family. It is documented in Drawn from New England, and in The Private World of Tasha Tudor. Mother and son work closely on family endeavors.

[edit] Awards

She has received many awards and honors, including Caldecott Honors for Mother Goose in 1945 and 1 is One in 1957.[3] She received the Regina Medal in 1971 for her contributions to children's literature[4]. Her books feature simple, captivating and often rhyming text accompanied by enchanting detailed and realistic drawings with soft colors. Text and pictures are often bordered by intricate details such as flowers, birds or other charming objects and animals. The visual or textual content often refers to traditions , artifacts or memories of the 19th century. Her books are highly valued possessions of an appreciative audience - one that has grown since she was first represented in the 1940s by the Pennsylvania shop The Dutch Inn in Mill Hall. She has also created thousands of original works of art which appear on Christmas cards, Advent calendars, Valentines, posters, and in other forms. The original art is found in museums, libraries and hundreds of private collections around the world.

One of her most famous books is Corgiville Fair, published in 1971. The first of a series to feature anthropomorphic corgis, the book was extremely popular.

[edit] Later years

Tudor toured the country for many years, giving speeches at libraries, colleges and museums. Her last major appearances were at the 1996/97 retrospective exhibition at Colonial Williamsburg. Many of her personal artifacts and doll house objects were shown there as well as fine manuscripts loaned by the Pierpont Morgan Library. An exhibition celebrating Tudor's holiday artwork and celebrations, "Tasha Tudor's Spirit of the Holidays", was displayed in 2005/06 at the Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, Mass. and the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan in 2006/07. It will be shown at the Toy and Miniature Museum of Kansas City from November 2007 through March 2008. That exhibit includes two early oil paintings that Rosamund Tudor created of her daughter circa 1920 and 1930. Many other original paintings and her first miniature illustrated manuscript Hitty's Almanac were included in the 2006 exhibition at the Shelburne Museum in Vermont.

Tudor's daughters Bethany Tudor and Efner Holmes are also accomplished authors and illustrators.

[edit] Books

Titles written and illustrated by Tasha Tudor include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Pumpkin Moonshine
  • A Tale for Easter
  • Snow before Christmas
  • Thistly B
  • The Dolls' Christmas
  • Edgar Allan Crow
  • Amanda and the Bear
  • A is for Annabelle
  • 1 is One
  • A Time to Keep
  • Corgiville Fair
  • Tasha Tudor's Seasons of Delight
  • The Great Corgiville Kidnapping

Titles illustrated by Tasha Tudor include, but are not limited to the following:

[edit] External links

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Davis (2000), pp. 15-17
  2. ^ Davis (2000), pp. 52-53
  3. ^ Caldecott Medal & Honor Books, 1938-present. American Library Association. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  4. ^ Regina Medal. Catholic Library Association. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.

[edit] References


Persondata
NAME Tudor, Tasha
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Burgess, Starling
SHORT DESCRIPTION Author and illustrator
DATE OF BIRTH August 28, 1915
PLACE OF BIRTH Boston, Massachusetts
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH
Languages