ELEANOR FRANCES LATTIMORE

de Grummond Children's Literature Collection
The University of Southern Mississippi

	Creator:	Eleanor Frances Lattimore
	Title:	Eleanor Frances Lattimore Papers
	Dates:	1963-1973
	Quantity:	0.60 cubic feet (1 box)
	Identification:	DG0590

Biographical Note

Eleanor Frances Lattimore was born in Shanghai, China, on June 30, 1904, to David and Margaret (Barnes) Lattimore, American nationals living in China. Her father, a professor at Chinese government universities, educated his five children at home. Eleanor studied art at the California School of Arts and Crafts in Berkeley after the family moved to the United States in 1920. In 1924, David Lattimore commenced a long career at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and Eleanor continued her art education at the Art Students League and Grand Central School of Art in New York City. She worked as a free-lance artist for five years until she published her first children's book, Little Pear: The Story of a Little Chinese Boy, in 1931.

Lattimore both wrote and illustrated almost all of her books. She wrote at least fifty-seven books over a forty-five year period. Lattimore composed books for very young readers and invented characters with personalities appealing to that age group. Although her works feature settings and characters from across the world, she is best known for her books set in China. Karen Nelson Hoyle remarked, "China was introduced to young children by one author primarily—Eleanor Lattimore." Lattimore drew on her upbringing in China to make elements from Chinese culture indispensable features in the plot of Little Pear. Its success generated three sequels and several other books exploring China and relationships between Chinese and American characters. Interracial understanding was a prominent goal in Eleanor Lattimore's writing.

Lattimore married Robert Armstrong Andrews, a free-lance writer and designer, in 1934. They had two sons before his death in 1963. Eleanor Frances Lattimore died on May 12, 1986.

Sources:
Something About the Author, ed. Anne Commire (Detroit: Gale Research, 1975), 7:155-156.
Twentieth-Century Children's Writers, ed. D. L. Kirkpatrick, 2nd ed. (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1983), 456-457.

Scope and Content Note

The Eleanor Frances Lattimore Papers contain illustrations, a photograph, and correspondence created and accumulated by Eleanor Frances Lattimore between 1963 and 1973. Lattimore's papers were created from her composition of six published books. The material is organized into three series: books, photograph, and correspondence.

The papers in the books series are arranged alphabetically by title and the material for each book is arranged chronologically in order of creation when known. At the time of Lattimore's first donation to the de Grummond Collection in 1966, she customarily did not keep production material for any of her books; therefore, the papers contain material for six of her later works. Most of the materials are original pen & ink illustrations drawn on paper or board, but illustration proofs, cover art paintings, and a color separation are also present. Most illustrations have been arranged in the order in which they appear in their respective works, but the drawings for More About Little Pear had been cut and taped together in an uncertain arrangement. Nevertheless, they also have been arranged as near to page number order as is possible.

Finally, the pieces of correspondence with the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection were selected and photocopied from the correspondence file of the de Grummond Collection because they provide information on the acquisition and display of material given by Eleanor Lattimore. They are arranged chronologically.

Restrictions

Restrictions on Use

Noncirculating; available for research.

Copyright Restrictions

The 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.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

(Identify the item and cite the series), Eleanor Frances Lattimore Papers, de Grummond Children's Literature Collection, University of Southern Mississippi Libraries.

Provenance

These papers were donated to the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection of the University of Southern Mississippi Libraries by Eleanor Frances Lattimore between 1966 and 1973.

Processing Information

Processed by Hans Rasmussen, December 2001. Encoded into EAD Version 1.0 by Danielle L. Bishop. This finding aid is the product of a grant funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Container Listing

Contact:
The de Grummond Children's Literature Collection
The University of Southern Mississippi
118 College Drive, #5148
Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001
(601) 266-4349
Comments and Questions

This page is maintained by the de Grummond Collection.
The University of Southern Mississippi
AA/EOE/ADAI