I suspect that this drawing represents a time earlier than the one in which it was published. We have a little girl standing upon a footstool and whispering a secret into her grandfather’s ear. She interrupted the gentleman while he was penning a letter or perhaps writing his own book to go with the ones on the shelf above the fireplace. From the fancy woodwork on the hearth, to the fine lace tablecloth to the elaborate decorations on his shoes, it is obvious that grandpa is quite a wealthy man. The way he holds his little granddaughter and bends his ear towards her is timeless even if the overall scene in this public domain kids image is not.
1890 Baby’s Annual Pictures and Stories for Little People supplied almost 100 wonderful images for Reusable Art. D. Lothrop Company filed the copyright in 1889 but since they did not identify an illustrator or author, the copyright held for 120 years. How lucky are we, that these vintage images are now in the public domain?
This image is copyright free and in the public domain anywhere that extends copyrights 70 years after death or at least 120 years after publication when the original illustrator is unknown.
