Minnie, the Little Fish Who Lived in a Shoe

Illustrations by Nell Witters for Minnie, the Little Fish Who Lived in a Shoe by Ethel Clere Chamberlin (1931):

02 Nell Witters, illus. for Minnie, the Little Fish Who Lived in a Shoe by Ethel Clere Chamberlin (1931)

03 Nell Witters, illus. for Minnie, the Little Fish Who Lived in a Shoe by Ethel Clere Chamberlin (1931)

04 Nell Witters, illus. for Minnie, the Little Fish Who Lived in a Shoe by Ethel Clere Chamberlin (1931)

05 Nell Witters, illus. for Minnie, the Little Fish Who Lived in a Shoe by Ethel Clere Chamberlin (1931)

06 Nell Witters, illus. for Minnie, the Little Fish Who Lived in a Shoe by Ethel Clere Chamberlin (1931)

07 Nell Witters, illus. for Minnie, the Little Fish Who Lived in a Shoe by Ethel Clere Chamberlin (1931)

08 Nell Witters, illus. for Minnie, the Little Fish Who Lived in a Shoe by Ethel Clere Chamberlin (1931)

09 Nell Witters, illus. for Minnie, the Little Fish Who Lived in a Shoe by Ethel Clere Chamberlin (1931)

I’m featuring only happy posts for the rest of the week. Please tune out if this will depress you.

Bio of the illustrator by Mary Malocha, Curator of Exhibitions/Collections, Saginaw Art Museum:

Nell Witters was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1882. While still a child, her family moved to Saginaw. By the time she graduated from Saginaw High in 1901, her artistic interest was already established. In addition to becoming an art teacher, Witters continued taking art classes in Chicago, Pennsylvania, and New York, where she studied under the great American printmaker, Martin Lewis. By 1919, she had moved permanently to New York City, where she enjoyed a successful art career through exhibition awards and illustrating for publications. When the Saginaw Art Museum opened in 1948, Witters was one of the first, and most generous, donors. She continued to exhibit her work until she was in her 80s. In 1966, she moved to California, and it was there that she died in September 1972.

For this volume, Witters also illustrated the stories “Three Billy-Goats Gruff” and “Doodle Doo, the Rooster Who Fell Into the Pea Soup,” which I will feature eventually. (Update: click here for that post.)