Once Upon a Time in Rhode Island by Katherine Pyle and illustrated by Helen B. Mason is one of the over-looked treasures in the Samuel Hopkins House library. Katherine, born in 1863 and died in 1938, was a member of the Philadelphia Pyle family known for their artistic talents. Howard Pyle, her brother was an illustrator.
Katherine wrote over 30 books and illustrated many others. Her talents were recognized early but in her Quaker household excessive praise was considered unseemly. She was educated at the Philadelphia Women’s Industrial School and at Drexel Institute. Her first published works were poems in the children’s magazine St. Nicolas and in Harpers Bazaar. In 1892 she moved to New York and enrolled in the Art Students League.
Helen B. Mason(Grose) was born in Providence and attended RISD. An accomplished illustrator in her own right her work Once Upon a Time in Rhode Island sold at a Bonham’s auction for $ 999 in 2006.
The publication of this book in 1914 was part of a larger national project by the Dames to promote civic education and history.
