The Newbery award-winning book, Hitty: Her First Hundred Years, by Rachel Field is a classic story about a doll’s adventures and travels around the world (see “Who is Hitty?“). Now that the book is in the public domain, my goal is to help people rediscover the story. One of the ways I decided to do that is by creating new illustrations that make the story come alive. First, I made color images of Flat Hitty as a Bride based on the illustrations of Dorothy P. Lathrop. Next, I had the idea of making portraits of some of Hitty’s owners. None of Dorothy’s illustrations depicted people: they were all pictures of…
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Hitty’s Floral Dress
Summer is finally here! What could be more appealing than a relaxing walk in the garden? Maybe it’s a dress for Hitty that embodies that feeling! Hitty’s Floral Dress is one of three original dresses from Hitty’s wardrobe in the Stockbridge Library (see “Who is Hitty?“). Hitty’s Floral Dress is printed with green leafy vines and red and blue flowers amid tan-colored branching shapes. The background is brown, and the fabric has a twill (diagonal) weave. In a letter, illustrator Dorothy P. Lathrop stated that she made the dress: “out of somebody’s great aunt’s ‘all wool mousseline-de-laine’ with rosebuds on a dark plum color ground, very flattering to her [Hitty’s]…
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Hitty as a Bride
Working with AI (Artificial Intelligence) to create images feels a bit like being buffeted by wind and waves. It is impossible to control and you don’t always end up where you want to be. I found that out during my first attempt to make a realistic image of Hitty as a young lady in “Faces of Hitty.” After doing that project, I had another idea… what if I could use AI to make a colorized version of one of Dorothy P. Lathrop’s black and white illustrations from the Hitty book? With World Doll Day approaching, I thought this project would be the perfect way to celebrate. Since June is a…
