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HILDA VAN STOCKUM PAPERS

Biographical Sketch | Scope & Content | Related Collections | Series & Subseries | Box Inventory

Provenance

Material received from Hilda Van Stockum and John Tepper Marlin from 1973-1991.

Restrictions

Non-circulating; available for research.

Copyright

This collection is protected by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U. S. Code). Reproductions can be made only if they are to be used for "private study, scholarship, or research." It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and to obtain all necessary permissions prior to the reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials, other than that noted above.

Biographical Sketch

Hilda van Stockum was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands on February 9, 1908. Her father, Abraham (Bram) Jan van Stockum, was a naval officer. The family traveled extensively and by the time she was seventeen she had visited the East Indies, Paris, Switzerland, and Ireland. Van Stockum was always drawing and telling stories as a child and made a book for her brother when she was five years old. She, her mother, father, and two brothers moved to Ireland where she attended the Dublin School of Art. Completing her art education with four years in the Amsterdam Academy of Art, she developed a love for painting. She became an art teacher in Ireland and an illustrator for Browne and Nolan, publishers in Dublin in the late 1920s.

She married E. R. Marlin who was a friend of her brother Willem in 1932 and moved to New York in 1934 where she became a Montessori instructor at the Child Education Foundation. She wrote and illustrated her first book for children, A Day On Skates: The Story of a Dutch Picnic, in that same year. In 1935 they moved to Washington, D. C. where she was an instructor in art and creative writing at the Institute of Lifetime Learning and studied at Corcoran School of Art from 1936 to 1937. She also became a United States citizen in 1936. She and her husband had six children who served as models for the characters in some of her books.

Van Stockum's family moved to Canada where her husband was an official of the Provisional International Civil Aviation Organization. Van Stockum continued writing children's books and began setting them in Canada. She published more than twenty books of her own and illustrated another dozen for other authors. She wrote a series about the O'Sullivan family of Ireland and another about the Mitchell family, depicting life in the United States during World War II. Her own children provided inspiration, but the refinement of the characters and social situations are considered Van Stockum's special gift. She also contributed to English literature for children by translating several stories set in foreign lands. In 1990 she was residing and working in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England.

During the course of her career she has had several individual shows at such galleries as the Painters Gallery in Dublin (1953), Difas Gallery in Geneva (1964), De Kuyl Gallery in Bilthoven, Netherlands (1964), Venables Gallery in Washington, D.C. (1974), Den Arts Gallery in Ottawa (1974), and Royal Hibernian Academy (circa 1990). She was president of the Children's Book Guild in Washington, D. C. (1972-1974) and received the Newbery Honor Award in 1935 for A Day On Skates: The Story of a Dutch Picnic.

Sources:

·        Children's Literature Awards & Winners: A Directory of Prizes, Authors, and Illustrators, p. 539.

·        Something About the Author, vol. 5, pp. 191-194.

·        Twentieth Century Children's Writers, 3rd ed., pp. 998-999.

 Scope and Content

The collection contains correspondence, material for fifteen book titles, an exhibition catalog, and unidentified illustrations. The correspondence, all with the de Grummond Collection and dating 1973-1979 and undated, is arranged in chronological order. The book titles are organized alphabetically with material for each arranged in the probable order in which it was created.

Andries (1942) is the story of a boy in the Netherlands who is adopted by his uncle when his parents die. For this title the collection holds several ink, graphite, and acrylic illustrations. The Angels' Alphabet (1948) is an ABC book of poetry about angels. Manuscript notes, paste-ups, and illustrations make up the original material for this title. For The Beggar's Penny (1943), another story set in the Netherlands, written by Catherine Cate Coblentz, the collection contains manuscript notes, illustrations, and a dust jacket illustration. The Borrowed House (1975), set during World War II, is the story of a young German girl, a member of the Hitler Youth, who goes to live with her parents in occupied Amsterdam and comes to realize the truth about the war. For this title the collection contains manuscript notes and four typescripts.

The Cottage at Bantry Bay (1938), Francie on the Run (1939), and Pegeen (1941) are books in a series about the O'Sullivan family of Ireland. The family consists of a mother and father, two responsible older children, and two irrepressible younger children who have many adventures. For The Cottage at Bantry Bay the collection holds a single illustration. For Francie on the Run the collection includes illustrations and a key drawing for a color separation. For Pegeen the collection consists of several illustrations and two proofs. Friendly Gables (1960) is a book from another series about the Mitchell family, depicting family life in the United States during World War II. For this title the collection includes a typescript, illustrations, proofs, negatives, color separations, and a dust jacket.

Gerrit and the Organ (1943) is also set in the Netherlands. The collection includes several illustrations for this book. Little Old Bear (1962) is a picture book about a tired old teddy bear and how he finds a new home. For this title the collection holds two dummies, illustrations, and proofs. For Mogo's Flute (1966), a story set in Kenya, the holdings consist of manuscript notes and a typescript. Patsy and the Pup (1950) is a picture book about a small girl and her puppy for which the collection holds illustrations and a color separation. For Penengro (1972), the story of an orphan boy who runs away to join the gypsies, the collection includes three typescripts, sketches, illustrations, a negative, and color tonal charts. The Winged Watchman (1962) concerns the Verhagen family during the German occupation of Holland in World War II. For this title the holdings consist of a typescript, illustrations, and a proof.

Van Stockum also translated books for foreign authors. The collection includes typescripts for two of these titles: Bruno (1975) by Achim Broger and Shadow Over Chocomata (1977) by S. R. van Iterson.

Van Stockum focuses her books on family life. She writes about the normal everyday concerns as well as the unusual. The relationships of family members is of great importance in her books and what factors might bring them together or separate them.

Related Collection

NONE

A. Correspondence (1973-1979 and undated)

B. Books (1939-1977)

ANDRIES (1942) ANGELS' ALPHABET (1948) THE BEGGAR'S PENNY (1943) THE BORROWED HOUSE (1975) BRUNO (1975) THE COTTAGE AT BANTRY BAY (1938) FRANCIE ON THE RUN (1939) FRIENDLY GABLES (1960) GERRIT AND THE ORGAN (1943) LITTLE OLD BEAR (1962) MOGO'S FLUTE (1966) PATSY AND THE PUP (1950) PEGEEN (1941) PENENGRO (1972) SHADOW OVER CHOKOMATA (1977) THE WINGED WATCHMAN (1962) YOUNG KEES

C. Catalogue of Exhibition (circa 1990)

D. Unidentified Illustrations (undated)

       1/1       To the de Grummond Collection, 1973-1979 and undated, 9 items.

      ANDRIES by Hilda Van Stockum (New York:  The Viking Press, 1942).

        1/2 - 3  Illustrations, ink, graphite, and acrylic,

        1/2       title page, pp. 9-57, 15 items;

        1/3       pp. 68-189, 16 items.

     Press, 1948).

        1/4       Manuscript notes, 21 items.

                    Paste-ups, text, 7 pp.

        1/5 - 7  Illustrations, scratchboard and ink,

        1/5       pp. [5, 9, 11, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25;

        1/6       27, 29, 35, 39, 43, 47, 49, 51;

        1/7       53, 57], and 7 not published.

     van Stockum (New York:  Longmans, Green  and Co., 1943).

        1/8       Manuscripts, 48 pages.

        1/9       Illustrations, scratchboard and ink, title page, pp. 1, 55, 71, 138, 165,

                  19,201, 235, 245, 261, front cover, and 1 not published.

                    Illustration, dust jacket, graphite, watercolor, and ink.

     Straus, Giroux, 1975).

        2/1       Manuscripts, 73 pages.

        2/2 - 5  Typescript, carbon, "first version," edited,

        2/2       chapters 1-4, pp. 1-49;

        2/3       chapters 5-9, pp. 50-101;

        2/4       chapters 10-13, pp. 102-152;

        2/5       [pt. 15]-19, pp. 157-205.

        2/6 - 8  Typescript, carbon, "second version," edited,

        2/6       chapters 1-7, pp. 1-63;

        2/7       chapters 8-14, pp. 64-109;

        2/8       chapters 15-23, pp. 110-174.

        2/9 - 3/2    Typescript, carbon, "third version," edited,

        2/9       chapters 1-6, pp. 2-55;

        2/10     chapters 7-11, pp. 56-102;

        3/1       chapters 12-17, pp. 104-150;

        3/2       chapters 18-24, pp. 151-199.

        3/3 - 4        Typescript, carbon, edited,

        3/3       chapters 1-12, pp. 1-97;

        3/4       chapters 13-21, pp. 98-174.

        3/5 - 8        Typescript, carbon, edited,

        3/5       chapters 1-5, pp. 1-49;

        3/6       chapters 6-10, pp. 50-98;

        3/7       chapters 11-17, pp. 99-150;

        3/8       chapters 18-22, pp. 152-192.

     Stockum, illustrated by Ronald Himler (New York:  Morrow, 1975).

        3/9       Typescript, edited, pp. 1-37.

     Viking Press, 1938).

        3/10     Illustration, ink and acrylic, p. 18.

     Press, 1939).

        3/11     Illustrations, ink, graphite and acrylic, pp. 21-301, 45 items.

                    Illustration, photocopy, not published, 1 item.

        4/1       Color separations, dust jacket.

     1960).

        4/2       Typescript, carbon, chapter 1-12, pp. 1-143.  [Removed from untitled

                   notebook]

        4/3       Typescript, original, corrected, chapters 1-10, pp. 1-100.

        4/4       Illustrations, ink, graphite and acrylic, pp. 9-172 and not published, 15

                   items.  [Removed from untitled notebook]

                    Illustrations, ink, graphite and acrylic, pp. 6-7, 7 items.

        4/5       Proofs, negatives and positives, pp. 6-7, 8 items.

        4/6       Color separations, dust jacket, 3 items.

                   Proof with text paste-ups, marked for typesetter, dust jacket, 1 item.

                    Negative, dust jacket, 1 item.

                    Dust jacket proofs, 2 items.

     Press, 1943).

        4/7 - 12     Illustrations, scratchboard, graphite and acrylic,

        4/7       pp. iii-28, 11 items;

        4/8       pp. 32-63, 12 items;

        4/9       pp. 64-90, 10 items;

        4/10     pp. 92-123, 11 items;

        4/11     pp. 127-158, 11 items;

        4/12     pp. 160-177 and 3 not published, 12 items.

     1962).

        5/1       Dummy, preliminary with ink, graphite and acrylic sketches.

                    Dummy with proofs of illustrations and manuscript text.

        5/2 - 3  Illustrations, ink and acrylic, pp. 1-32, 36 items;

        5/3       Sketches, ink and acrylic, dust jacket, 3 items.

                    Proofs, not published, 5 items.

     York:  The Viking Press, 1966).

        5/4       Manuscripts, 62 pages.

        5/5       Typescript, edited, pp. 6-70.

     Press, 1950).

        5/6 - 8     Illustrations, scratchboard and acrylic,

        5/6       dedication page, pp. 9-31, 13 items;

        5/7       pp. 33-59, 13 items;

        5/8       pp. 61-83, dust jacket, and not published, 41 items.

        5/9       Sketches, ink and acrylic, dust jacket.

                     Color separation, dust jacket.

     PEGEEN by Hilda Van Stockum (New York:  The Viking Press, 1941).

        6/1 - 5     Illustrations, ink, acrylic and colored pencil,

        6/1       title page, pp. 12-57, 14 items;

        6/2       pp. 59-99, 14 items;

        6/3       pp. 103-149, 14 items;

        6/4       pp. 153-199, 15 items;

        6/5       pp. 202-265, 21 items.

                    Proofs, pp. 168 and 204.

     1972).

        6/6 - 7     Typescript, carbon, "first-rejected version of `Colin and
                  the Gypsies'," edited,

        6/6       chapters 1-7, pp. 1-118;

        6/7       chapters 8-14, pp. 110-225.

        6/8 - 9    Typescript, carbon, "second version which had to be amended," edited,

        6/8       chapters 1-4, pp. 1-65;

        6/9       chapters 5-9, pp. 66-130;

        6/10     chapters 10-15, pp. 131-234.

        7/1 - 2   Typescript, photocopy, "final version," edited,

        7/1       front matter, chapters 1-9, pp. 1-102;

        7/2       chapters 10-17, pp. 103-195.

        7/3       Sketches, ink and graphite, 19 items.

        7/4 - 5  Illustrations, ink and acrylic,

        7/4       pp. 18-105, 8 items;

        7/5       pp. 122-209, 7 items.

                    Negative, p. 78.

        7/6       Color chart, 2 items.

        8/1       Illustrations, ink and watercolor, dust jacket, 2 items.

                    Dust jacket.

     Dutch by Hilda Van Stockum (New York:  Morrow, 1977).

        8/2       Typescript, carbon, edited, pp. 1-112.

     Strauss & Giroux, 1962)

        8/3       Typescript, "rejected first copy," edited, pp. 1-90.

        8/4       Illustrations, ink and acrylic and scratchboard, frontispiece, pp. 5-195,

                   25 items.

                    Proof, p. 94.

     Stockum.

        8/5 - 6  Typescript, carbon, corrected;

        8/5       Chapter 1-11, pp. 1-59;

        8/6       Chapter 12-23, pp. 60-137.

         8/7       Catalog, Hilda Van Stockum HRHA:  Paintings and Drawings 1925-1990,

                   32 pp.  [Removed to cataloged collection]

      8/8       Unidentified illustrations, ink and acrylic, 3 items.
Processed: June 1992 Last updated May 13, 1997

Biographical Sketch | Scope & Content | Related Collections | Series & Subseries | Box Inventory
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