this blog post has been a long { long } time in the writing . i'd like to be able to say that life has just kept me far too busy to write as many posts as i'd liked { or planned } . but that would be a teeny bit of a fib . i have { however } been spending lots of time daydreaming . & . also a little bit of time looking & thinking & planning . & . i think i'm { very } nearly ready to take the next step towards setting up my little lily&Bloom online shop .
but more of that another time . back to this blog post so long in the writing . two weeks ago i took a trip down to london . down to the
House of Illustration . & . went on a wander down memory lane at the wonderful
Ladybird by Design exhibition . an exhibition of over 120 of the original illustrations from the books, it brought back so many memories from my childhood . as a child of the 70's i was part of the last generation of children to be taught to read using those classic
Ladybird books; from Baby's First Book . & . the wonderful Fairytale books . & . not forgetting the classic Peter & Jane books . the illustrations are wonderfully evocative of a { now } forgotten age . displaying an innocence of a time when life was a little simpler, not easier perhaps, but so different none the less .
Ladybird were unique in using artists to illustrate their books . all were hand painted & even today they haven't lost any of their vibrancy & beauty . the exhibition is beautifully curated . the layout simple & clean { much like the Ladybird books themselves } . lovely facts like the format & size of the hardback books { something now so intrinsically part of Ladybird } being in response to PostWar restrictions on paper size; the 56page books could be created from a single sheet of paper measuring 30"x40" a method of production that meant they could keep the cost at an affordable 2/6d, a price that they didn't change for 30years .
Shopping with Mother was so lovely to see . written at a time before the arrival of the supermarkets . at a time when visiting your local high street . with the baker . the grocers . the fishmonger . was the usual way to do the shopping . & . something i still remember doing with my mum . complete with my own little shopping basket . just like Jane's . { although i'm betting she didn't lose hers along with a pound of best cheddar like i did ! } . if you take a closer look at the illustration of Peter & Jane at the toyshop, if you notice one of the books is " Shopping with Mother " . & . i have a suspicion the other books are Ladybird ones too . this may have been pre-internet era but those Ladybird people were already savvy self marketeers !
despite it's nostalgic feel in a way it also felt contemporary . there are so many influences being taken from that midCentury design, a look that is encapsulated in the colour level & feel of the Ladybird books . for interiors, the midCentury look has taken over as the ' new vintage ' . & . after visiting
TopDrawer & Home earlier this week, it's a look that seems here to stay a little while longer . & . within children's clothing there is a number of brands that have brought back that classic & simpler style of dressing . brands like
Rachel Riley &
Caramel Baby & Child here in the Uk,
BonTon &
Bonpoint in France . & . of course everyone remembers getting their feet measured for those back to school shoes at .
Clarks . & .
Start Rite . { although i don't ever remember StartRite shoes looking quite as cool as
MilkMagazine manage to make them look ! } .
there are still 10 days left before the exhibition closes . with the last day of the show being the 27th september . so if you are in london . & . have the chance, please do visit .
& . if you would like to see more of the lovely Ladybird illustrations . or . images inspired by them . take a look at my Pinterest board .
inspired#4 .
. have a happy day .
