"Pat-A-Cake, Pat-A-Cake,” by Florence Salter

"Pat-A-Cake, Pat-A-Cake,” by Florence Salter

1939

Chromolithograph

Published in 1939, this vintage book plate features a warm domestic color lithograph by American children's illustrator Florence Salter paired with the traditional nursery rhyme "Pat-A-Cake, Pat-A-Cake." The main composition illustrates an older girl with dark, curled hair and a red-and-white striped dress holding a young blonde toddler in a blue dress on her lap. To their right, a playful gray tabby kitten stands on its hind legs and reaches toward the children. The background includes a bright yellow wall and a white window frame holding a potted red geranium on the sill next to a floral curtain. At the bottom of the page, clean block typography displays the classic four-line verse about baking and marking a cake with the letter "B."

Originally featured within a large-format nursery book published by the Merrill Publishing Company, this plate beautifully captures the commercial aesthetic of late 1930s American children's media. Florence Salter was a highly sought-after mid-century commercial artist who became famous for her distinctively sweet, chubby-cheeked, and wide-eyed character designs that came to define children's books, puzzles, and ephemera during the era. This specific piece holds significant historical value because it reflects the shift away from the stark, didactic moral lessons of earlier Victorian children's literature, moving instead toward bright, purely whimsical entertainment intended to comfort and delight young children during the tail end of the Great Depression.

Dimensions: H 13”x 9 ¾”W

Condition: In very good condition