Children’s Books 1850

This series features illustrated children's books mainly from the Victorian era, more specifically from between 1850 and 1904. I found so many interesting books that I decided to split the series.

This first series features books from between the 1850s to 1881.
Books from between 1881 to 1904 will appear here later in the year.

Until the mid-18th century, children's books mainly consisted of moralistic or enlightening stories propagating the religious and ethical view that hard work and diligence determines a person's life. Little consideration was given to children's reading pleasure.
The focus in children's books gradually shifted from simple moral lessons to entertainment, with techniques of expression employed specifically for that purpose. Books carrying witty illustrations or exploring children's inner life also began to appear. The mid-19th century saw the development of girls' novels and narratives of family life.

This is part 2 of an 11-part series on children's books 1850s - 1881:

1866 Good Boys
published by Routledge, Warne, and Routledge, London:

1867 Bright Thoughts Joyful Tales
published by McLoughlin Brothers, New York:

1868 Upside Down
published by Griffith and Farran, London:

The idea of the illustrations in this book was to turn the book upside down and see a different interpretation of the illustrations done by William McConnell.

William McConnell ( 1833–1867 ) was an English illustrator and cartoonist. He became known as a young man as an illustration draughtsman on wood. Suffering from poor health, he was supported in his last days by brother artists, and died of consumption in London on 14 May 1867.

Early works were the illustrations to Oliver Oldfellow's Our School ( 1857 ), George Frederick Pardon’sThe Months

( 1858 ), and George Augustus Sala’s popular Twice Round the Clock. Upside Down, or Turnover Traits, with verses by Thomas Hood the younger, which was published after his death from his initial illustrations.

I have shown each version of the illustrations here in sequence: