Creatures of Christmas Past

Prang's Natural History Series for Children, 1878

I recently spent a few happy hours browsing the huge archives of the International

 Children's DIgital Library, in particular the incredibly rich Baldwin Collection 

consisting of 1986 books published for children from the mid-to-late 19th century. 

The collection was contributed to the ICDL by the Baldwin Library of Historical 

Children's Materials at the University of Florida and digitized through grants 

from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The International Children's DIgital Library won the American Library Association
President's 2010 Award for International Library Innovation, and was named one of 

25 best websites for teaching and learning by the American Association of School Librarians.

Elise Bake, Der Ball der Tiere, 1891

The scans are wonderful and I can almost smell the old yellowed paper...

These nostalgic covers go very well with my own sentimental take on festivities,

right next to Christmas Pudding, glass baubles and old Hollywood movies!

 The Dog's Grand Dinner Party, 1869

 The Carrion Crow, 1880

 Dash's Holiday, 1880

 Child's First Book, 1880

 J. Lawson, Clever Hans, 1880

Robert Michael Ballantyne, Chit-Chat by a Motherly Cat, 1888

 Giacomelli, Bird Pictures, 1880

Justin H. Howard, Domestic Animals, 1884

 Domestic Animals, 1880

William Small and Harrison Weir, The Childrens Posy, 1879

The Bird and Insects' Post Office, 1880

 The Discontented Frogs, 1880