Tom Feelings

Last updated
Tom Feelings
Portrait photograph of Tom Feelings from the 1968 first-edition dust jacket of To Be a Slave.jpg
Portrait from the first edition of To Be a Slave (1968)
BornMay 19, 1933
Brooklyn, New York
DiedAugust 25, 2003(2003-08-25) (aged 70)
Mexico
Nationality American
Area(s)Cartoonist, illustrator
Notable works
Tommy Traveler In the World of Negro History
To Be a Slave
The Middle Passage: White Ships/Black Cargo
Awards Caldecott Honor, 1972, 1975
Coretta Scott King Award, 1996
Spouse(s)
Muriel Feelings
​
​
(m. 1969⁠–⁠1974)​

Tom Feelings (May 19, 1933 – August 25, 2003) was an artist, cartoonist, children's book illustrator, author, teacher, and activist. He focused on the African-American experience in his work. His most famous book is The Middle Passage: White Ships/Black Cargo.

Contents

Feelings was the recipient of numerous awards for his art in children's picture books. He was the first African-American artist to receive a Caldecott Honor, [1] and was the recipient of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1982. [2] Born in Brooklyn, New York, he lived in New York City, Ghana, Guyana, and Columbia, South Carolina. [2]

Biography

Feelings was born on May 19, 1933, in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York. [3] [4]

Feelings studied cartooning at the Cartoonists and Illustrators School from 1951 to 1953 and, after serving in the Air Force working in the Graphics Division, returned to New York to study illustration at the now-renamed School of Visual Arts from 1957 to 1960. [2] [5]

His earliest known (signed) comic book work may be the story "Scandal" in Key Publication's third issue of Radiant Love (February 1953). [6]

Feelings created the groundbreaking comic strip Tommy Traveler In the World of Negro History for the New York Age in 1958. [7] Tommy Traveler is a black youth's dream adventures in American history while reading of notable black heroes. This material was released in book form in 1991. [8]

In 1960 Feelings illustrated The Street Where You Live, a four-color comic for the NAACP's pamphlet on voter registration. [9] Another example of Feelings's early work are the illustrations that accompanied "The Negro in the U.S." for Look Magazine, in 1961. [8] [9]

Feelings moved to Tema, Ghana, in 1964 and served as illustrator and consultant for the African Review, a magazine published by the Ghanaian government, until 1966. [3]

In 1967, Feelings illustrated Crispus Attucks and the Minutemen, the third in Bertram Fitzgerald's Golden Legacy series of comic books about black history that eventually included sixteen volumes and was published until 1976. [10] Crispus Attucks, the first casualty of the American Revolution, was also one of the historical figures that Feelings included in the Tommy Traveler comic strip.

Feelings with Maya Angelou, c. 1987 Portrait photograph of Tom Feelings and Maya Angelou by Ted Pontiflet from the 1987 first-edition dust jacket of Now Sheba Sings the Song.jpg
Feelings with Maya Angelou, c. 1987

From the late 1960s through the 1990s, Feelings concentrated on children's books, illustrating other authors' works as well as writing his own. Notable titles included To Be a Slave (written by Julius Lester), Moja Means One: Swahili Counting Book, Jambo Means Hello: A Swahili Alphabet Book , and The Middle Passage: White Ships/Black Cargo.

Feelings was married to fellow children's book author and his frequent collaborator Muriel Feelings from 1969 to 1974. [11] [12]

Feelings was an artist in residence and professor of art at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC from 1990 to 1996. [13]

Feelings died aged 70 in 2003, in Mexico, where he had been receiving treatment for cancer. [14]

Bibliography

Comic Books

Book Illustrations

Words and Pictures

Artists' Books

Awards

To Be a Slave was recognized in 1969 as a Newbery Honor Book , [16] an ALA Notable Book , [17] a Hornbook Fanfare Best Book, [17] the Library of Congress Children's Literature Center Best Children's Book, [17] the School Library Journal's Best Book of the Year, and the Smithsonian Best Book of the Year. It was given a 1970 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award.

Feelings was a 1972 Caldecott Medal Honor recipient with his wife Muriel Feelings for their book Moja Means One: Swahili Counting Book. [1]

Muriel and Tom Feelings also received a 1974 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for the picture book Jambo Means Hello: A Swahili Alphabet Book. [18] Jambo Means Hello was also 1975 Caldecott Medal Honor recipient. [1]

Feelings's book The Middle Passage won the 1996 Coretta Scott King Award. [19] In addition, it won a special commendation [20] at the 1996 Jane Addams Children's Book Award ceremonies.

In 2001, the South Carolina Department of Education honored Feelings in its African-American History Month calendar alongside Merl Code, Sanco Rembert, Mamie Johnson, Bill Pinkney, and other notable black South Carolinians. [21]

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crispus Attucks</span> 18th-century African-American stevedore; first victim of the Boston Massacre

Crispus Attucks was an American whaler, sailor, and stevedore of African and Native American descent, who is traditionally regarded as the first person killed in the Boston Massacre, and as a result the first American killed in the American Revolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caldecott Medal</span> Annual U. S. childrens book illustrator award

The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). The Caldecott and Newbery Medals are considered the most prestigious American children's book awards. Beside the Caldecott Medal, the committee awards a variable number of citations to runners-up they deem worthy, called the Caldecott Honor or Caldecott Honor Books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arnold Lobel</span> American illustrator and writer (1933–1987)

Arnold Stark Lobel was an American author of children's books, including the Frog and Toad series and Mouse Soup. He wrote and illustrated these picture books as well as Fables, a 1981 Caldecott Medal winner for best-illustrated U.S. picture book. Lobel also illustrated books by other writers, including Sam the Minuteman by Nathaniel Benchley published in 1969.

Peter Spier was a Dutch-American illustrator and writer who created more than thirty children's books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crispus Attucks High School</span> Public magnet school in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.

Crispus Attucks High School is a public high school of Indianapolis Public Schools in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. Its namesake, Crispus Attucks, was an African American patriot killed during the Boston Massacre. The school was built northwest of downtown Indianapolis near Indiana Avenue and opened on September 12, 1927, when it was the only public high school in the city designated specifically for African Americans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marguerite de Angeli</span> American novelist

Marguerite de Angeli was an American writer and illustrator of children's books including the 1950 Newbery Award winning book The Door in the Wall. She wrote and illustrated twenty-eight of her own books, and illustrated more than three dozen books and numerous magazine stories and articles for other authors.

The Coretta Scott King Award is an annual award presented by the Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table, part of the American Library Association (ALA). Named for Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King Jr., this award recognizes outstanding books for young adults and children by African Americans that reflect the African American experience. Awards are given both to authors and to illustrators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Raschka</span> American writer

Chris Raschka is an American illustrator, writer, and violist. He contributed to children's literature as a children's illustrator. He was U.S. nominee for the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 2012.

The Pura Belpré Award is a recognition presented to a Latino or Latina author and illustrator whose work best portrays the Latino cultural experience in a work of literature for children or youth. It was established in 1996. It was given every other year since 1996 until 2009 when it was changed to be given annually.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kadir Nelson</span> American painter, illustrator, and author

Kadir Nelson is a Los Angeles–based painter, illustrator, and author who is best known for his paintings often featured on the covers of The New Yorker magazine, and album covers for Michael Jackson and Drake. His work is focused on African-American culture and history. The New York Times describes his work as: "sumptuous, deeply affecting work. Nelson’s paintings are drenched in ambience, and often overt symbolism. He has twice been a Caldecott honor recipient and won the 2020 Caldecott Medal for his book The Undefeated.

Black people have been portrayed in comics since the medium's beginning, with their portrayals often the subject of controversy. Mainstream comic publishing companies have had a historical trend of being predominantly white and male, reflecting the lack of representation and inaccurate depictions of Black people in comics. The integration of black characters in mainstream and superhero comics has endured various obstacles and challenges. Critics have noted that black men and women have historically often been portrayed as jungle or ghetto stereotypes, and as sidekicks as opposed to primary characters. Occiasionally, comic book creators would lampshade stereotypes, lack of representation and emphasize social injustices. In recent years, with the integration of more Black people in mainstream comic writing rooms as well as the creation of comics on digital platforms has changed the representation and portrayals of Black people in comics and has started to reflect the complexities of Black people across the diaspora.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Klassen</span> Canadian-born writer and illustrator

Jon Klassen is a Canadian writer and illustrator of children's books and an animator. He won both the American Caldecott Medal and the British Kate Greenaway Medal for children's book illustration, recognizing the 2012 picture book This Is Not My Hat, which he also wrote. He is the first person to win both awards for the same work.

<i>Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat</i> 2016 picture book by Javaka Steptoe

Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat is a 2016 picture book biography by Javaka Steptoe about Jean-Michel Basquiat. Using a style similar to Basquiat's, the book tells the story of his childhood and early career. It won the 2017 Caldecott Medal and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award for its illustrations.

<i>Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut</i> 2017 picture book by Derrick Barnes

Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut is a 2017 picture book by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James. The book, Barnes' first picture book, is a poem describing a boy's feelings and experience while getting a haircut. James, who was not the first choice to be the illustrator, wanted the oil color illustrations to have the feel of fine art.

Richard Gregory Christie is an American author and illustrator of picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, and album covers best known for his Coretta Scott King Award-winning books No Crystal Stair: A Documentary Novel of the Life and Work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem Bookseller, Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U. S. Marshal, and Brothers in Hope: The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan, Only Passing Through, and the NAACP Image Award-winning Our Children Can Soar: A Celebration of Rosa, Barack, and the Pioneers of Change.

<i>Golden Legacy</i>

Golden Legacy was the umbrella title for a line of educational black history comic books published by Fitzgerald Publishing Co. from 1966 to 1976. Golden Legacy published comic book biographies of such notable figures as Toussaint Louverture, Harriet Tubman, Crispus Attucks, Benjamin Banneker, Matthew Henson, Alexandre Dumas, Frederick Douglass, Robert Smalls, Joseph Cinqué, Walter F. White, Roy Wilkins, Thurgood Marshall, Martin Luther King Jr., Alexander Pushkin, Lewis Howard Latimer, and Granville Woods.

<i>Mufaros Beautiful Daughters</i> Childrens picture book by John Steptoe

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters is a children's picture book published in 1987 by John Steptoe. The book won many awards for Steptoe's illustrations, and went on to be adapted into many different children's literature curricula. In the late 1980s, Weston Woods made a version of the book, narrated by Terry Alexander.

This is a timeline of African American Children's literature milestones in the United States from 1600 – present. The timeline also includes selected events in Black history and children's book publishing broadly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muriel Feelings</span>

Muriel Feelings was an American children’s book author. She is known for her collaborations with her husband Tom Feelings. The two produced the books Moja Means One: A Swahili Counting Book and Jambo Means Hello: A Swahili Alphabet Book. Their notable books are considered part of rise of the Afrocentric literature in the 1970s.

<i>Jambo Means Hello: Swahili Alphabet Book</i> 1975 Caldecott Honor book

Jambo Means Hello: Swahili Alphabet Book is a 1974 picture book written by Muriel Feelings and illustrated by Tom Feelings. It was published by the Dial Press. It is an abecedarium of Swahili terms. It has terms for the 24 letters in the Swahili alphabet. Jambo Means Hello won the 1974 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for Picture Book, and was awarded a Caldecott Honor in 1975.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Caldecott Medal & Honor Books, 1938-Present". Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). 1999. Retrieved 2019-11-30.
  2. 1 2 3 "The Artist: Tom Feelings," Juneteenth.
  3. 1 2 "Authors Emeritus: Tom Feelings and Virginia Hamilton". Bookology Magazine. 2015-09-01. Retrieved 2017-03-11.
  4. ↑ Feelings, Thomas (2001). "The Middle Passage: White ships/black cargo". Black Renaissance / Renaissance Noire. 3 (3): 109.
  5. ↑ Angelou, Maya (2003). "Balancing pain and joy (Obituary)". The International Review of African American Art. 19 (2): 62–63.
  6. ↑ "Radiant Love #3 (Stanley Morse (Key))". Comic Book Plus. Retrieved 2019-11-30.
  7. ↑ Schelly, William (2013). American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1950s. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 69. ISBN   9781605490540.
  8. 1 2 Babb, Valerie (2017). A History of the African American Novel. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 297. ISBN   978-1-108-21027-0.
  9. 1 2 DeVore, Jesse (1963). "Negro Art Theme Winning -- Successful Brooklynite". The Crisis. April 1963: 228–230.
  10. ↑ Jackson, Tim (2016). Pioneering Cartoonists of Color. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. ISBN   9781496804792.
  11. ↑ Edmonds, Arlene. "Author Muriel L. Feelings dies at 73". The Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  12. ↑ "Feelings, Muriel L. 1938– | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  13. ↑ Anonymous (2003). "Illustrator Tom Feelings succumbs to cancer". School Library Journal. 49 (10): 28.
  14. ↑ "Tom Feelings, 70, an Illustrator Who Portrayed Black History", The New York Times , August 30, 2003.
  15. ↑ Edwards, Ruth E; Feelings, Tom (2000). With care. Ruthology. OCLC   136957850 . Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  16. ↑ "Newbery Medal and Honor Books, 1922-Present". Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). 1999. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
  17. 1 2 3 To Be a Slave by Julius Lester . Retrieved 2019-11-10.{{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  18. ↑ "Past Boston Globe–Horn Book Award Winners". The Horn Book. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
  19. ↑ "Coretta Scott King Book Awards - All Recipients, 1970-Present". Round Tables. 2012. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
  20. ↑ "Jane Addams Children's Book Award Winners and Honor Books 1953-present". Jane Addams Children's Book Award. 2018. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
  21. ↑ "Past Honorees". South Carolina African American History Calendar. South Carolina Department of Education. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.