Garth Williams
Garth Montgomery Williams (April 16, 1912 – May 8, 1996) was an American artist who came to prominence in the American postwar era as an illustrator of children's books. Many of the books he illustrated have become classics of American children's literature.
In Stuart Little, Charlotte's Web, and in the Little House series of books of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Williams['s] drawings have become inseparable from how we think of those stories. In that respect ... Williams['s] work belongs in the same class as Sir John Tenniel's drawings for Alice in Wonderland, or Ernest Shepard's illustrations for Winnie the Pooh.
Garth Williams | |
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An undated photo of Garth Williams. | |
| Born | April 16, 1912 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | May 8, 1996 (aged 84) Marfil near Guanajuato, Mexico |
| Education | Westminster School of Art, Royal College of Art, British School at Rome |
| Known for | Illustrating children's books |
| Notable work | Illustrations for Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little by E.B. White; Illustrations for The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden; illustrations for the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder |
| Style | Line drawing |
| Awards | British Prix de Rome |
His friendly, fuzzy baby animals populated a dozen Little Golden Books.
Mel Gussow in The New York Times wrote, "He believed that books 'given, or read, to children can have a profound influence!' For that reason, he said, he used his illustrations to try to 'awaken something of importance ... humor, responsibility, respect for others, interest in the world at large!'"