Mischievous toddlers by illustrator Raymond James Stewart

Illustrator Raymond James Stuart is one of the most mysterious figures in the history of modern US art. Nothing is known about this man except that he was born in 1882. But the artist left us hundreds of wonderful works, including illustrations for books, pin-ups and funny drawings with children caught in various funny situations.

We do not know what Raymond James Stewart looked like, where he was born and where he mastered the art of illustration. It is not even known for sure whether he signed the works with his real name. One thing is for sure - he was an artist with great talent and an exceptional sense of humor.

Much of Stewart's work is dedicated to American children from the outback. Each picture is a small funny story that happened to kids at home, in the yard, in the garden or on the river. Ruddy-cheeked little ones fish, play with pets, do household chores and run around other people's gardens, all the while getting into various funny situations.

The children portrayed by Stewart are rosy-cheeked and invariably cute, even when they commit less-than-beautiful acts. It is very interesting to study the artist’s works, because they reveal the life of American children of the 20-30s of the last century. It turns out that the kids weren’t bored at all at that time, despite the lack of television, the Internet and video games.

Much less often the artist turned to adult themes. But even in this case, he plays up non-standard humorous situations. Raymond James Stewart's work is highly sought after by collectors. At auctions, connoisseurs pay thousands of dollars for them.