Vieilles Chansons et rondes Pour les Petits Enfants

Since Helen Clay Frick spent half of each school day attending lessons conducted in French, it’s no surprise to find these charming books of traditional French songs illustrated by Boutet de Monvel in the library at Clayton. Boutet de Monvel was an academically trained artist who became one of the most famous French illustrators of children’s books. Decorative yet energetic and full of play, de Monvel’s flat frieze-like compositions are indebted to both Japanese prints and English contemporaries like Walter Crane.