Lord only knows what artist Tina Cacciola and the editors at Coronet were thinking back December 1956 when they chose this macabre black and red colour scheme for their story of the Littlest Snowman. Very festive... for Hallowe'en, perhaps!
Yet this odd little tale, which probably scared the dickens out of every little child whom it was read to, is strangely appealing to me. Probably my German heritage, where St. Nickalaus brings coals and a willow switch for bad little children, the better to whip them with. No jolly Sundblom santas there, St. Nickalaus cut an intimidating figure, always slightly stern-faced. Menacing even...
You can find the entire eight pages of pictures and story here.
And so another year of Today's Inspiration draws to a close. I'll be taking a hiatus 'til after the New Year - but check in regularly for updates of old TI scans on my Flickr account. I promise you'll find at least one new set each day between now and January 1st, 2006.
Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to comment on the TI blog or emailed me in private - your words of encouragement mean so much to me... I truly appreciate it!
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Tina was my grandmother's cousin and a happy fixture in my childhood. Thank you for including her in this collection.
ReplyDeleteThis is really an excellent blog.
ReplyDeleteeditorial illustrator