Caldecott Medal awarded to author and illustrator Evaline Ness in 1967 for her children’s picture book Sam, Bangs & Moonshine, coupled with a special deluxe edition of her book that was custom-prepared and presented to Ness by her publishers, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, to commemorate the achievement.
Named after 19th-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott, the bronze medal, 70 gm, 57 mm, designed by Rene Paul Chambellan, features beautifully embossed artwork to either side; the front scene is derived from Caldecott's front cover illustration for The Diverting History of John Gilpin, depicting John Gilpin astride a runaway horse, with text to top and bottom, “The Caldecott Medal”; and the reverse is based on ‘Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie,’ one of Caldecott's illustrations for the nursery rhyme ‘Sing a Song of Sixpence,’ with the author’s name engraved below the image, “Evaline Ness, 1967,” and the border encircled with raised text: “For the Most Distinguished American Picture Book for Children / Awarded Annually by the Children’s and School Librarians Sections of the American Library Association.” The bottom edge is stamped, “Medallic Art Co. N.Y.” The medal includes its original Morocco leather case made by the Medallic Art Company.
The included special deluxe edition of Sam, Bangs & Moonshine, presented to Ness by her publishers on the occasion of her acceptance of the Caldecott Medal, is signed and inscribed on two opening pages in black ink and felt tip by 13 senior personnel from Holt, Rinehart and Winston, including company president Alfred Edwards and children’s book editor Ann Durell, who adds above, “For Evaline Ness, from her publishers to commemorate June 27, 1967.” The hardcover book features thin small quarto full black morocco leather boards and a raised spine, both of which bear rules and lettering in matching gilt; accompanied by its attractive custom-made slipcase, 7.5 x 10.5, with the front and rear dressed neatly with her corresponding dust jacket panels, and the golden Caldecott Medal label added to the front. The medal is in mint condition. Book condition: VG/None in a VG slipcase, with some toning to endpapers, and some scuffing and staining to the case.
Awarded examples of Caldecott Medals are virtually unobtainable and surface with such infrequency at auction that determining a sold population has proven a difficult and unfruitful task. This offered medal, which was obtained at auction nearly two decades ago, appears to be the only Caldecott to have emerged on the active market within the past 50 years, elevating it as a prize of such rarity that its very presence should be defined as something of an event.
Evaline Ness (nee Michelow, 1911-1986) used her early experience as an art teacher and fashion illustrator to carve out a career that would have impressed even her second husband, the famed Prohibition agent Eliot Ness, from whom she adopted and retained her surname. The illustrator of more than 30 books for young readers, Ness also wrote several of her own, including her most celebrated work, Sam, Bangs & Moonshine, a tale about Sam, a fisherman's daughter, who learns the importance of telling the truth. Known for her use of a variety of artistic media and methods, Ness’s experimental art style allowed her to thrive in the 1960s, which embraced ‘drawings with sharp, angular figures, muted colors and representational or cartoon-like styles.’ As a result, Ness earned three Caldecott Medal runners-up honors from 1964 to 1966, eventually breaking through in 1967 with the book and medal offered here.
The Caldecott Medal is an annual award given to the illustrator of the most distinguished American picture book for children. Presented by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), the medal aims to recognize excellence in the artistic expression of a book, focusing on the illustrations rather than the text, with criteria such as artistic excellence, creativity, and the visual storytelling ability of the illustrations. One of the most prestigious awards in the field of children's literature, the Caldecott Medal has helped promote outstanding illustrators and has contributed significantly to the recognition and appreciation of picture books as an important medium in children's literature. Its unmistakable gold seal has, since its inception in 1937, guided parents the world over in their search for the next must-have children’s book. A marvelously rare opportunity to own what is arguably the most cherished and identifiable award in the realm of children’s literature; that the medal is accompanied by its one-of-a-kind special edition book, makes this offering all the more unique.
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