See-Saw, Margery Daw," by Florence Salter

See-Saw, Margery Daw," by Florence Salter

1939

Chromolithograph

This vintage book plate showcases a colorful mid-century color lithograph accompanying the traditional verse "See-Saw, Margery Daw," created by the prominent American children's illustrator Florence Salter and published in 1939. The cheery visual scene depicts a boy in mustard-yellow overalls and a young blonde girl in a blue-and-pink floral print dress playing together on a wooden see-saw in a grassy field beneath a soft blue sky. Resting on the grass to the left, a small doll dressed in a pink gown and a wide-brimmed yellow bonnet watches the children play. Below the graphic, clean block typography displays the familiar four-line nursery rhyme detailing the plight of Jenny and her new master.

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