golden memories, illustrated

My wife and I recently returned to New York, after spending a year in Tennessee.  Packed away in a box there appeared something that took me back more than forty years.  It’s a book that my mom read to my sister and me when we were little kids, The Golden Bible for Children: The New Testament, published in 1953.  It was wonderfully illustrated by the wife and husband team, Alice and Martin Provensen.  I really loved the pictures!  I was fascinated by their “flatness.”  I was sure that the artwork came from the “olden days.”

 

Looking through the book today brought back those memories.  I was able to find some images online.  The one to the left is a good one for Lent, Jesus in the wilderness.

The one accompanying the parable of the Good Samaritan has a good look at some wicked dudes laying the lumber to the unfortunate traveler.

The day of Pentecost has some fellows exchanging pleasantries (and giving thanks to God) who on any other day wouldn’t have the slightest idea what they were doing.

The last one requires some explanation.  As a boy I always especially loved seeing poor Eutychus falling from the window.  I couldn’t find that one on the internet, so we scanned the page from the book (being careful not to damage the spine).  You can see the smudge at the bottom of the page, one of many in our copy which was withdrawn from the Contra Costa County Library.

 

If you’ll excuse me, I have some reading and art appreciation to do!