With its proximity to the cultural hub of New York City and its quieter suburban and rural landscapes, Connecticut was fertile ground for artists and writers in the period of Modernist movements between 1913 and 1979. Many of these cultural figures are well known through biographical and critical studies. Creative Places seeks to show how place played a significant role in creative work, and how in turn the artists and writers influenced communities in Connecticut.
Richard, and Patsy Scarry
Children's Literature
1919 – 1994
- Biography/Description of Work
Author and illustrator of children’s books, Richard Scarry enrolled in business school after high school, but soon left for the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. He was drafted into the Army during World War II, and worked in magazine art departments upon his return. His career direction came into focus in 1949 with commissions to illustrate Little Golden Books authors, work he did until 1955 when he began authoring and illustrating the first of well over two hundred titles including his famous books about the beloved Busytown. He worked with his wife Patsy (1924-1995) who wrote many of the stories from homes in Connecticut until 1968.
From 1951 to 1958, the couple lived on the Conklin Farm in Ridgefield. Wanting to be more accessible to New York City, they moved to Westport in 1959 and lived there until moving to Switzerland in the 1960s. The places in both towns heavily inspired the illustrations in his books. The top floor of their Westport home was Richard’s studio and the first floor enclosed terrace was where Patsy would write her stories.
- Sources view
- http://jackfsanders.tripod.com/S-Z.htm, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Scarry https://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/final-chapter-closes-in-richard-scarry-s-greatest-career/article_4c17b485-8443-5790-8090-6737a479847c.html "The Road to Busytown: Richard Scarry’s Life in Fairfield County" exhibit at the Fairfield Museum & History Center, 2023, https://www.fairfieldhistory.org/exhibitions/the-road-to-busytown-richard-scarrys-life-in-fairfield-county/ Timeline on www.richardscarry.com/about-the-author
- Associated Resource(s)