Original art from THE GIANT GOLDEN BOOK OF CAT STORIES

n.p.: n.p., 1953. Fine.. Three original watercolors from Rojankovsky's Golden Books publication of 1953 all about cats - including one image meant for the publication but which did not appear in the final version. All but one of these watercolors appear on page 57 of THE GIANT BOOK OF CAT STORIES. The first image is a fabulous giant cat reading a book with farm buildings, bird, foliage, etc. in the background. It measures 9'' x 12''. The second image is a cat dressed in pants, vest and jacket. He wears a cap and carries a briefcase and cloth parcel. It measures 4'' square. The last image is a cat walking upright in the city with a fire hydrant and street background; it is slightly less finished than the other two, and does not feature in the final production. It measures 3.75'' x 4'', on the same board as the first image, laid out in the space where the clothed cat image ends up in the final page design, suggesting it was originally intended for that space but was removed in favor of the clothed cat.

Rojankovsky was a Russian émigré artist who became an important illustrator of children's books. He illustrated the Domino Press' landmark DANIEL BOONE, and won the Caldecott Award in 1956 for FROG WENT A-COURTIN'. Original art by Rojan rarely appears on the market and these are great images. 17.5'' x 21'' (frame). Mounted, matted and framed together. Two corners of reading cat image slightly trimmed.