Q&A with Elizabeth Partridge

  

Elizabeth Partridge is the author of the new children's picture book biography Imogen: The Life and Work of Imogen Cunningham. Cunningham (1883-1976), a photographer, was Partridge's grandmother. Partridge's other books include This Land Was Made for You and Me. She lives in Berkeley, California. 

 

Q: Why did you decide to write a children’s picture book biography of your grandmother, photographer Imogen Cunningham?

 

A: I often thought about writing a book on my grandmother, Imogen. It took me a long time to decide to actually write it, rather than just imagine writing it. I had a close relationship with Imo and I wasn't sure how to make my inside feelings for her appear on the page to share with others.

 

The first thing I did was find sources where she had talked with other people about her life to find out what I didn't know about her. Then I could combine my experience of her, and what she'd told me about her life, with what she'd said in interviews and oral histories.

 

I also knew many family stories from my dad, her son, who was a great raconteur. I ended up with lots to say, and then had to decide what was important to keep. That's always a good problem to have as a writer!

 

Q: What do you think Yuko Shimizu’s illustrations add to the book?

 

A: I adore Yuko's illustrations. She brought so much to the manuscript I'd written. She illustrated Imo's childhood so richly that Imo's whole world sprung to life.

 

Then once Imo picked up a camera and started photographing, Yuko went all-out. She not only illustrated Imo's photographs in her art work, she made these amazing views where the reader is seeing what Imo sees through her camera lens.

 

Q: The Publishers Weekly review of the book says, “An artist’s joy for photography resounds in this absorbing picture book…the warmth-filled work emphasizes Cunningham’s childhood love of the outdoors and her close, supportive relationship with her father.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: This review really captured what I hoped to get onto the page, so I was thrilled. It also called out a part of Imo's story that was incredibly important to me.

 

Imo's father, Isaac, was incredibly supportive of her, as well as being quite a character in his own right. I had heard stories about him all my life from my father, who was close to him, as well as hearing stories from Imo about him. I wanted Isaac to really figure in the manuscript as a tribute to him.

 

I also wanted to give a bit of his supportive nature to any kid reading the book who wants to be an artist but doesn't have that kind of amazing support. He lives on in the book with Imo, encouraging kids to go for their dreams.

 

Q: What impact did it have on you to write the book, and what do you hope readers take away from it?

 

A: With her father's support, Imo lived the artistic life she wanted to live. And what a legacy she left all of us in her photographs! I want readers to have a feeling for her and when they encounter her images as they grow up they will bring a bit more to looking at her work than they might have. 

 

Working on this book was deeply moving. It opened up floodgates of memories I have of being with Imo. That was a gift to me!

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I've got two artists I'm working on right now. I'm doing a picture book on Edith Heath who started Heath Ceramics and nearly singlehandedly revolutionized the kinds of tableware we use these days.

 

I’m also doing a longer more complicated manuscript on Hung Liu, an American painter who grew up in China and was profoundly shaped by Mao's cultural revolution. It's complex and beautiful because of the politics and how they shaped Hung's work.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Elizabeth Partridge.