Elizabeth Olds was born December 10, 1896, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She attended the U. of Minn. from 1916-1918, the Minneapolis Institute of Art from 1918-1821, and the Art Students League of New York from 1921-1923. Throughout her long career in the arts, Ms. Olds became known for her paintings and prints, and was the first woman awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for her work. She began writing and illustrating children's books in the 1940s, publishing The Big Fire in 1945, a work that developed out of one of her prints. In 1952 she received a Caldecott Honor for Feather Mountain . Her children's books demonstrate her versatility as an artist working in a variety of media, as well as showcasing her storytelling abilities. Elizabeth Olds died March 4, 1991, in Sarasota, Florida.
Biographical Source: Something About the Author, vols. 3, 66
From the guide to the Elizabeth Olds Papers, 1945-1958, (University of Minnesota Libraries Children's Literature Research Collections [clrc])
