A Child Stargazer : Black Americana Childrens Book Illustrator's Print Block

Description

This is a wood block (4 1/4 ' x 5 1/4") depicting a stargazing child sitting on a door step, in a scene  worthy of inclusion in a children's story book.
Neither the artist of this print block nor any publication of this image has yet been identified.
However,  the only  line of investigtion available up to thos point to establish its provenance is suggested by the circumstances under which this print blockprint was acquired. It was part of a public domain acquisition sale, more than a decde ago, which included  graphics print plates, photo engraving  plates, bookplates and  the like. Almost  all the artifacts in  this lot were identifiable as products from Carter G. Woodson's Associated Publishers workshop, many of which were identified independently thru bibliographic and archival research.                                                                                                Only two of the artifacts were not of that same genre. Each of these featured images more closely related to a children's book format. Only one of these two print blocks was signed an held the signature of the famed artist and children's book illustrator Lois Mailou Jones. Not only was she widely acclaimed as a painter and a university professor of art but records show  her affiliation with Carter G. Woodson's Associated Publishers which began in the early 1930’s, lasted at least until 1947. Thus it should not be a surprise to have discovered this children's themed print block among Associated Publishers artifacts, although identification of the artist has not been made. Yet the specific identification of the author of this print block, the above-pictured stargazing child, is unknown.