Book
1930s (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This 1930's drawing book illustrates questions and statements about ‘The Child’s Day’, from breakfast and school through to bedtime. With simple drawings printed in black ink at the top of each page and blank space below, the pages invite a child to both colour and draw, which is exactly what the owner of the book, a young boy named Donald Millbank, has done. The variance in artistic accomplishment suggests that Donald not only enjoyed this book when he received it as a Christmas gift, aged six, but that he also returned to doodle on the pages when he was a few years older. The drawing book is part of a collection of objects that belonged to Donald, who tragically died at a young age. Donald was killed during the Second World War in 1940 when a bomb made a direct hit on his house. He was remembered by his family as a bright, kind, funny boy who was artistically talented, and the drawings and comments in this book certainly reflect both his drawing skills and sense of humour.
The collection of objects belonging to Donald includes his school exercise books, a birthday card he made for his father, the nightgown he wore as a baby and several colourful drawings, as well as three memorial cards made for Donald following his death. These provide a snapshot of a young boy's life and work from a turbulent time in British history and they are a rare survival.
The collection of objects belonging to Donald includes his school exercise books, a birthday card he made for his father, the nightgown he wore as a baby and several colourful drawings, as well as three memorial cards made for Donald following his death. These provide a snapshot of a young boy's life and work from a turbulent time in British history and they are a rare survival.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Stapled, printed paper book containing hand drawn images in pencil, crayon and watercolour. |
| Brief description | Printed paper book, The Child's Day, belonging to Donald Millbank made in England in the 1930s |
| Physical description | Stapled paper drawing book with pale green cover containing printed drawings and text at the top of each unlined page. The front cover has a black and red rectangular border within which is printed the text: 'THE CHILD'S DAY' and 'DRAWING BOOK'; also within the border are two clock faces, each printed above the image of a child, at work and praying by the bedside; the date 'Dec 25th / 1933' is written in red crayon in the top right corner. The book contains writing and drawings in pencil, crayon and watercolour. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Production type | Mass produced |
| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Given by Christine Adams |
| Object history | The following was written by Christine Adams, Donald's niece and donor of his childhood objects: Donald Gerald Balfour Millbank Donald was born in Surrey in 1927. His father, Fred, was an officer for the Port of London Authority and his mother, Lou, stayed at home to look after her family. He had an older brother and sister, Alan and Mildred (Millie - known as 'Weenie' by the family as she was a particularly tiny baby.) Another younger brother died at a few months old. On 18 November 1940, when Donald was 13, he was killed by a bomb dropped directly on the house. His sister Weenie, a few years older, was buried under the house with him for several hours, holding his hand. She felt him grow weaker as he gradually passed away. His mother never recovered from losing two children and was in mourning for the rest of her life, only wearing black. Donald grew up in the years before the Second World War, in what was then the village of Mitcham, in a family house with a rabbit, cat and dog. His family remember a bright, kind, funny boy, artistically talented as can be seen by a selection of [his] drawings. His brother Alan became a teacher and Weenie a nurse - both were excellent painters. As for so many children on both sides of the War, Donald was denied his life but his potential was clear as can be seen here. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This 1930's drawing book illustrates questions and statements about ‘The Child’s Day’, from breakfast and school through to bedtime. With simple drawings printed in black ink at the top of each page and blank space below, the pages invite a child to both colour and draw, which is exactly what the owner of the book, a young boy named Donald Millbank, has done. The variance in artistic accomplishment suggests that Donald not only enjoyed this book when he received it as a Christmas gift, aged six, but that he also returned to doodle on the pages when he was a few years older. The drawing book is part of a collection of objects that belonged to Donald, who tragically died at a young age. Donald was killed during the Second World War in 1940 when a bomb made a direct hit on his house. He was remembered by his family as a bright, kind, funny boy who was artistically talented, and the drawings and comments in this book certainly reflect both his drawing skills and sense of humour. The collection of objects belonging to Donald includes his school exercise books, a birthday card he made for his father, the nightgown he wore as a baby and several colourful drawings, as well as three memorial cards made for Donald following his death. These provide a snapshot of a young boy's life and work from a turbulent time in British history and they are a rare survival. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | B.563-2016 |
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| Record created | March 28, 2017 |
| Record URL |
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