ED RENFRO PAPERS

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


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Creator: Edward R. Renfro
Title: Ed Renfro Papers
Dates: 1963 - 1981
Quantity: 6.50 cubic feet (8 boxes)
Identification: DG0811

Abstract: Ed Renfro has illustrated numerous children's books with his original and humorous cartoon-style drawings, winning numerous honors and awards. The Ed Renfro Papers contain watercolor illustrations and color separations for fourteen books published between 1963 and 1979. They also include illustrations painted for the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection.

Biographical Note

Illustrator Ed Renfro was born on December 2, 1924, in Huntington Beach, California. After graduating from Huntington Beach High School in 1942, he served in World War II as a combat heavy bomber pilot with the 8th Air Force over Germany. He took advantage of post-war education opportunities to get an art degree from UCLA in 1950.

Renfro worked as an advertising artist in Los Angeles and as a free-lance illustrator in San Francisco. In 1955, he moved to New York to continue his work as a free-lance illustrator of children's books, advertising art, magazine editorials, and television work. Renfro's work appeared in many national and international shows and publications, and won numerous awards and honors. He and his first wife, artist Suzanne Bonham, had two children.

Ed Renfro passed away in June 2012 at the age of 87.

Sources: Compiled from sources within the Ed Renfro Papers.


Scope and Content Note

The Ed Renfro Papers contain watercolor illustrations, layouts, color separations, and galleys for fourteen books written between 1963 and 1979. They also include watercolor illustrations and color separations for a Christmas card and a Children's Book Festival notice painted for the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection. The material is organized into two series: literary works and de Grummond Collection materials.

The papers in the literary works series are organized into three subseries: books, anthologies, and a workbook. In each subseries, the papers are arranged alphabetically by title and the material for each work is arranged chronologically in order of creation when known. The material in the books subseries is comprised mostly of layouts and color separations, but their forms vary greatly, presumably because of production demands. Some layouts, such as those for The Funny Old Man and the Funny Old Woman or Joey Kangaroo, are watercolor illustrations painted or pasted directly onto a layout board. Layouts for other books feature black and white illustrations drawn with marker or ink, sometimes watercolored with gray, over which separate color overlays have been taped. Examples of the latter type of illustration are found in The City Witch & the Country Witch, Gwinellen: The Princess Who Could Not Sleep, and Maximilian. Another interesting illustration variation is found in color separations for Hiccup Hippo and Old Lucy Lindy. Renfro painted a watercolor sketch of an illustration directly onto the illustration board, but sharpened the painting by drawing the illustration's outlines in black marker on an acetate overlay.

The anthologies subseries contains watercolor illustrations for three "The Sounds Of" reading series books edited by Bill Martin. The workbook subseries contains twenty small watercolor illustrations drawn for an unknown school workbook. The illustrations are labeled "Queens Litho Workbook 2-1," with no further identification. Also included in this subseries are workbook tear sheets, showing Renfro's finished illustrations as they appeared in publication.

The series of de Grummond Collection materials includes four illustrations drawn as candidates for the cover of the collection's annual Christmas card in 1980. Also included is a color separation of notice for the 1981 Children's Book Festival, appearing in the inside cover of the 1980 Christmas card. Selected pieces of correspondence between Renfro and the de Grummond Collection between 1968 and 1981 are also included in the series. The correspondence has been selected and photocopied from the de Grummond Collection's correspondence file because it contains information on Renfro's work. The pieces of correspondence are arranged chronologically.


Series and Subseries

A. Literary Works

1. Books (1963 - 1979)

2. Anthologies (1966 - 1967)

3. Workbook [prior to 1973]

B. de Grummond Collection Materials (1968 - 1981)


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), Ed Renfro 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 Ed Renfro between 1968 and 1981.

Processing Information

Processed by C. Alder, February 2002. 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

Box/Folder

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Literary Works

Books
The City Witch & the Country Witch by Jay Williams, illustrations by Ed Renfro (New York: Macmillan, 1979)
1/1Specification sheet; mechanical for dust jacket flaps; color separation of dust jacket illustration
1/2Layout, marked for publication: pp. 4 (copyright page) and 3 (title page), (1 sheet)
1/3Color separation: pp. 3 (title page) and 5 (beginning of text), (1 sheet)
1/4Color separation: pp. 6 - 7, (1 sheet)
1/5Color separation: pp. 8 - 9, (1 sheet)
1/6Color separation: pp. 10 - 11, (1 sheet)
1/7Color separation: pp. 12 - 13, (1 sheet)
1/8Color separation: pp. 14 - 15, (1 sheet)
1/9Color separation: pp. 16 - 17, (1 sheet)
1/10Color separation: pp. 18 - 19, (1 sheet)
1/11Color separation: pp. 20 - 21, (1 sheet)
1/12Color separation: pp. 22 - 23, (1 sheet)
1/13Color separation: pp. 24 - 25, (1 sheet)
1/14Color separation: pp. 26 - 27, (1 sheet)
1/15Color separation: pp. 28 - 29, (1 sheet)
1/16Color separation: pp. 30 - 31, (1 sheet)
1/17Color separation: pp. 32 - 33, (1 sheet)
1/18Color separation: pp. 34 - 35, (1 sheet)
1/19Color separation: pp. 36 - 37, (1 sheet)
1/20Color separation: pp. 38 - 39, (1 sheet)
1/21Color separation: pp. 40 - 41, (1 sheet)
1/22Color separation: pp. 42 - 43, (1 sheet )
1/23Color separation: pp. 44 - 45, (1 sheet)
The Funny Old Man and the Funny Old Woman by Martha Barber, illustrations by Ed Renfro (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1963)
2/1Print samples of text for front matter, including purchase order for typography, (12 items)
2/2First galley, (4 sheets)
2/3Second galley, some pages edited and marked for publication, 5 March 1963, ( 6 items)
2/4Third galley, 6 March 1963, (9 sheets)
2/5Watercolor dust jacket illustration with text on overlay, mounted
2/6Watercolor illustration: title page [illustration amended for the poem "Listen, Listen" in Sounds of Laughter - see box 8]
2/7Layout, watercolor illustration and pasted text: pp. 6 (beginning of text) - 7, (1 sheet)
2/8Layout, watercolor illustrations with text on overlay: pp. 8 - 11, (2 sheets)
2/9Overlay with text: (p. 16)
2/10Layout, watercolor illustrations with text on overlay: pp. 18 - 19 and 22 - 23, (2 sheets)
2/11Layout, watercolor illustration with text on overlay: pp. 24 - 25, (1 sheet)
2/12Layout, watercolor illustration and pasted text: pp. 26 - 27, (1 sheet)
2/13 Early illustration for pp. 26 - 27, mounted, (1 sheet)
Gwinellen: The Princess Who Could Not Sleep by Jane Yolen, illustrations by Ed Renfro (New York: Macmillan, 1965)
2/14Early watercolor illustration: dust jacket cover, (1 sheet)
2/15Color separation: dust jacket cover, (1 sheet)
2/16Color separation: title page, (1 sheet)
2/17Black & white watercolor illustration: p. 3 (dedication page), (1 sheet)
2/18Color separation: pp. 4 - 5 (beginning of text), (1 sheet)
3/1Black & white watercolor illustration: pp. 6 - 7, ( 1 sheet)
3/2Black & white watercolor illustration: pp. 8 - 9, (1 sheet)
3/3Black & white watercolor illustration: pp. 10 - 11, (1 sheet)
3/4Color separation: pp. 12 - 13, (1 sheet)
3/5Black & white watercolor illustration: pp. 14 - 15, (1 sheet )
3/6Color separation: pp. 20 - 21, (1 sheet)
3/7Black & white watercolor illustration: pp. 22 - 23, (1 sheet)
3/8Color separation: pp. 24 - 25, (1 sheet)
3/9Black & white watercolor illustration: pp. 26 - 27, (1 sheet)
3/10Color separation: pp. 28 - 29, (1 sheet)
3/11Black & white watercolor illustration: pp. 30 -31, (1 sheet)
3/12Color separation: p. 32, (1 sheet)
Hiccup Hippo by Katherine Law, illustrations by Ed Renfro (Syracuse, NY: L. W. Singer Co., 1967)
3/13Layout of title page, (1 sheet)
3/14Black & white brush illustrations: pp. 3 - 7, (3 sheets)
4/1Black & white brush illustrations: pp. 8 - 13, (3 sheets)
4/2Black & white brush illustrations: pp. 14 - 19, (3 sheets)
4/3Black & white brush illustrations: pp. 20 - 25, (3 sheets)
4/4Black & white brush illustrations: pp. 26 - 31, (3 sheets)
4/5Black & white brush illustration: p. 32, (1 sheet)
4/6Color separation: pp. 2 - 3, (1 sheet)
4/7Color separation: pp. 4 - 5, (1 sheet)
4/8Color separation: pp. 8 - 9, (1 sheet)
4/9Color separation: pp 10 - 11, (1 sheet)
4/10Color separation: pp. 12 - 13, (1 sheet)
4/11Color separation: pp. 14 - 15, (1 sheet)
4/12Color separation: pp. 16 - 17, (1 sheet)
4/13Color separation: pp. 18 - 19, (1 sheet)
4/14Color separation: pp. 20 - 21, (1 sheet )
4/15Color separation: pp. 22 - 23, (1 sheet )
4/16Color separation: pp. 24 - 25, (1 sheet)
4/17Color separation: pp. 26 - 27, (1 sheet)
4/18Color separation: pp. 28 - 29, (1 sheet)
4/19Color separation: p. 32, (1 sheet)
Joey Kangaroo by Patricia K. Miller and Iran L. Seligman, illustrations by Ed Renfro (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1963)
5/1Original watercolor dust jacket illustration, (1 sheet)
5/2Layout, with original watercolor illustration: title page, (1 sheet)
5/3Original watercolor illustrations: pp. 6 (beginning of text) - 7, (1 sheet)
5/4Layout, with original watercolor illustration: pp. 8 - 9, (1 sheet)
5/5Original watercolor illustration: pp. 10 - 11, (1 sheet)
5/6Layout, with original watercolor illustration: pp. 12 - 13, (1 sheet)
5/7Layout, with original watercolor illustration: pp. 14 - 15, (1 sheet)
5/8Layout, with original watercolor illustration: pp. 16 - 17, (1 sheet)
5/9Layout, with original watercolor illustration: pp. 18 - 19, (1 sheet)
5/10Original watercolor illustration: pp. 20 - 21, (1 sheet)
5/11Layout, with original watercolor illustration: pp. 22 - 23, (1 sheet)
5/12Original watercolor illustration: pp. 24 - 25, (1 sheet)
5/13Layout, with original watercolor illustration: pp. 26 - 27, (1 sheet)
5/14Layout, with original watercolor illustration: pp. 28 - 29, (1 sheet)
5/15 Original watercolor illustration: pp. 30 - 31, (1 sheet)
Maximilian by Florence Heide and Sylvia Van Clief, illustrations by Ed Renfro (New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1969)
6/1Color separation: title page, (1 sheet)
6/2Color separation: pp. 8 (copyright) and 9 (dedication), (1 sheet)
6/3Color separation: pp. 12 - 13, (1 sheet)
6/4Color separation: pp. 14 - 15, (1 sheet)
6/5Color separation: pp. 16 - 17, (1 sheet)
6/6Color separation: pp. 18 - 19, (1 sheet)
6/7Color separation: pp. 20 - 21, (1 sheet)
6/8Color separation: pp. 22 - 23, (1 sheet)
6/9Color separation: pp. 24 - 25, (1 sheet)
6/10Color separation: pp. 26 - 27, (1 sheet)
6/11Color separation: pp. 28 - 29, (1 sheet)
6/12Color separation: pp. 30 - 31, (1 sheet)
6/13Color separation: pp. 32 - 33, (1 sheet)
6/14Color separation: pp. 34 - 35, (1 sheet)
6/15Color separation: pp. 36 - 37, (1 sheet)
My Marvelous Menagerie by Margaret Maguire, illustrations by Ed Renfro (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1968)
7/1Black & white painted illustrations on illustration boards: endpapers, title page, reverse angles of pp. 19 - 20, 23 and 24, (2 sheets)
7/2Black & white painted illustrations on illustration boards: pp. 3 (beginning of text) - 6, reverse angle of 9 - 10, 11 - 12, 15 - 16, and 21 - 22, (3 sheets)
7/3Black & white painted illustrations on illustration boards: pp. 7 - 8, 13 - 14, 17 - 18, and 25 - 26, (2 sheets)
7/4 Watercolor illustrations: variations of pp. 3 - 4, 9 - 10, 15 - 16, 19 - 20, 23 - 26, and unused, (8 sheets)
Old Lucy Lindy by Leland Jacobs, illustrations by Ed Renfro (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1964)
7/5Color separation, with text and outline of underlying illustration on plastic overlay: dust jacket, (1 sheet)
7/6Color separation, with text and outline of underlying illustration on plastic overlay: title page, (1 sheet)
7/7Color separation, with text and outline of underlying illustration on plastic overlay: pp. 6 (beginning of text) - 7, (1 sheet )
7/8Color separation, with text and outline of underlying illustration on plastic overlay: pp. 8 - 9, (1 sheet)
7/9Color separation, with text and outline of underlying illustration on plastic overlay: pp. 12 - 13, (1 sheet)
7/10 Color separation, with text and outline of underlying illustration on plastic overlay: pp. 16 - 17, (1 sheet)
7/11Color separation, with text and outline of underlying illustration on plastic overlay: pp. 18 - 19, (1 sheet)
7/12Color separation, with text and outline of underlying illustration on plastic overlay: pp. 20 - 21, (1 sheet)
7/13Color separation, with text and outline of underlying illustration on plastic overlay: pp. 22 - 23, (1 sheet)
7/14Color separation, with text and outline of underlying illustration on plastic overlay: pp. 24 - 25, (1 sheet)
7/15Color separation, with text and outline of underlying illustration on plastic overlay: pp. 26 - 27, (1 sheet)
7/16Color separation, with text and outline of underlying illustration on plastic overlay: pp. 28 - 29, (1 sheet)
Show and Tell by Helen Jill Fletcher, illustrations by Ed Renfro (New York: Platt & Munk, 1968)
8/1Eight original pen & ink illustrations on illustration board: pp. 10 (beginning of text) - 17, (1 sheet)
8/2Eight original pen & ink illustrations on illustration board: pp. 18 - 25, (1 sheet)
8/3Eight original pen & ink illustrations on illustration board: pp. 26 - 33, (1 sheet)
8/4Eight original pen & ink illustrations on illustration board: pp. 42 - 49, (1 sheet)
8/5Eight original pen & ink illustrations on illustration board: pp. 50 - 57, (1 sheet)
8/6Eight original pen & ink illustrations on illustration board: pp. 58 - 65, (1 sheet)
8/7Original watercolor illustration, with pasted text: p. 38, (1 sheet )
Anthologies
"How the Little Old Woman Did Her Marketing" in Sounds of a Distant Drum, edited by Bill Martin (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1967)
8/8Layout, original watercolor illustration, pp. 210 - 211, (1 sheet)
8/9Layout, original watercolor illustrations, pp. 212 and 215, (2 sheets)
8/10Layout, original watercolor illustrations, pp. 217 - 219, (2 sheets)
8/11Layout, original watercolor illustrations, pp. 220 - 221, (1 sheet)
"Listen, Listen" in Sounds of Laughter, edited by Bill Martin (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1966)
(Note: The illustration for "Listen, Listen" (pp. 10 - 11) is a modified version of the illustration for the title page of The Funny Old Man and the Funny Old Woman. See folder 2/6 for original illustration and modification.)
"Out in the Rain" by Leland Jacobs, in Sounds of Laughter, edited by Bill Martin (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1966)
8/12 Layout, original watercolor illustration, p. 142, (1 sheet )
"Susie Moriar" in Sounds of Laughter, edited by Bill Martin (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1966)
8/13Layouts, original watercolor illustration, p. 55, (1 sheet)
"Hippy Hippo the Unhappy Hippopotamus" by William D. Sheldon, in Sounds of Mystery, edited by Bill Martin (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1967)
8/14Original watercolor illustration, p. 166 - 167, (1 sheet)
Workbook
Unidentified Workbook
8/15Nine watercolor illustrations on an illustration board, (1 sheet)
8/16 Eleven watercolor illustrations for story, "The Talking Yam," ( 2 sheets)
8/17Workbook tear sheets, (6 pp.)



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de Grummond Collection Materials

8/18 Watercolor illustrations for the 1980 de Grummond Collection Christmas card cover, with notes from the illustrator, (4 items)
8/19Color separation of Christmas card cover illustration, (1 item)
8/20Color separation of notice for 1981 Children's Book Festival notice, printed on the inside of the 1980 Christmas card, (1 item)
8/211980 deGrummond Children's Literature Collection Christmas card, (1 item)
8/22Selected correspondence between Ed Renfro and the de Grummond Collection, 1968 - 1980, (4 items)

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