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138
138
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RICHARDWILEY.
“Funny Frog.”Mixed media illustration with collage on board. 305x406 mm; 12x16 inches.
Illustration of characters Mike, Pam and Penny for the Dick and Jane series story in “We
Play Outside” published by Scott Foresman, 1966. Celluloid onlays with a few corrections
and printers’ indications, boards with some wash, pencil rules, and placement numbers
along margins.
[1,500/2,500]
Seven editions of the “Dick and Jane” textbooks ran from 1930 to 1965.The widely used and popu-
lar schoolbooks featured stories about family and home life and included the well-known characters
Dick, Jane, Sally, Spot, Puff andTim - Sally’s stuffed bear.
1965 marked the year of integration into public schools throughout the U.S. In response, the publisher
of the series, Scott Foresman & Company, introduced an African American family which included the
adolescent aged Mike, his twin sisters, Pam and Penny, and their parents. Interestingly, in 1963,
ecclesiastical approval had been given for integrated readers and by 1964, Catholic Schools were using
the modernized editions, one year before our public schools.
Despite this progress and Scott, Foresman & Co.’s socially responsible attempt to represent all children
in the stories, simultaneous controversy grew over not only the new black family but also over the gen-
erally unrealistic characters and their “perfect” American family life. To lessen conflict, the publisher
chose to hide the characters on the covers of books that were copywritten in 1965, replacing them with
finger-paint art designs. By then, howerver, no resuscitation could save the series and it ceased publica-
tion shortly thereafter in 1965. See
tagnwag.com/dick_and_jane_books.html.All three of the Wiley
lots ( 139-139) were formerly in the collection of a Directing Editor at Scott, Foresman & Company.