Sarah Noble Ives

Sarah Noble Ives (March 1864 – November 1944) was an American writer, illustrator, and historian known for her children's books including Dog Heroes of Many Lands and Songs of the Shining Way. Her work also appeared in publications like the New York Herald Tribune, the Boston Globe, and McClure's, sometimes under the name Noble Ives. Later in her life she researched and published a history of Altadena, California.

Early life

Ives was born in Grosse Ile, Michigan, near Detroit, in March 1864, to S. William and Sarah Mana Hyde Ives. She attended Port Huron High School, where she first began studying art, and a Training School for Elocution and Literature run by Mrs. Edna Chafee Noble, who was a suffragette and a role model to Sarah. She continued her education first in New York City at the School for Artists and Artisans and then in Paris at the Académie Julian and Académie Delécluse. When she returned to the United States she began work as a freelance author and illustrator in New York under the name "Noble Ives", in line with other female artists of the time who hid their identity in various ways.

Career

Ives specialized in descriptive illustrations with varied, distinct characters. Some of the pieces include decorative Art Nouveau elements and apparel. She was proficient in black and white pen and ink drawings as well as watercolors and oil painting.

Landscapes

In addition to her freelance work illustrating, Ives also painted and exhibited landscapes for her own enjoyment. She said of these oil paintings, "To work in oils, that is what I love. The black and white [commercial illustration] is bread and butter work." She also experimented with early color photography.