"Play-time" by C. G. Hardie

"Play-time" by John Lawson

1902

Chromolithograph

This antique book plate features a chromolithographic illustration paired with an instructional moral verse, titled "Play-time," designed by the artist C. G. Hardie (signed in the lower right margin) and published in 1902. The visual composition captures a scene of domestic leisure within an upper-class interior, featuring an elegant young woman in a pink off-the-shoulder gown seated on a classical neoclassical accent chair. She gazes down toward a young blonde girl in a white smock with a prominent pink sash, who is sitting on the floor alongside a large, intricately detailed blue-and-white porcelain floor vase. In the foreground, a playful black kitten unravels a ball of red yarn, adding a layer of animated warmth to the tableau. The accompanying typography frames a classic proverb signed by the initials C.B., which outlines the famous moral message: "Work when you work, / Play when you play; / That's the best motto, / For every day."

This plate was officially published in the 1902 collection titled Mother Goose Jingles, a prominent children's book produced by the notable fine-art publisher Ernest Nister in London (and co-distributed by E.P. Dutton in New York). C. G. Hardie was an active illustrator during this golden age of children's literature, known for rendering highly refined domestic scenes that captured idealized family structures, affluent material culture, and gentle interactions with domestic animals. This specific piece holds considerable historical and aesthetic significance because it perfectly encapsulates how late-Victorian and Edwardian society blended artistic beauty with overt didacticism; the print uses a sentimental, luxurious aesthetic to teach young readers core contemporary values of time management, diligence, and structured behavior. 

Dimensions: H 12” x 10” W

Condition: Toned with age