Edgar Parin arrived in Munich, Germany on the 30th of September 1898. His father was an Italian portrait painter named Gino Parin. His mother Ella Auler moved from St. Louis to Paris before meeting his father. The couple separated when Edgar turned six years old. He spent his childhood traveling across Europe with his father. At age twelve he began studying architecture for one year in Munich. He then enrolled at the School of Arts and Crafts known as Kunstgewerbeschule. Hans Hofmann taught him there alongside Henri Matisse. He studied fresco techniques in Florence during the early 1920s. He painted murals in France and Norway between 1926 and 1927. He exhibited his work in Paris Berlin and Oslo throughout that decade. Ingri Mortenson entered the world on the 27th of December 1904 in Kongsberg Norway. Her uncle translated the Icelandic Eddas into Norwegian poetry. That same uncle set his own verses to music by Edvard Grieg. When she reached fifteen Harriet Backer encouraged her to pursue art professionally. She later attended schools in Norway Germany and France. They met in Munich while both were still students.
Immigration And Career Transition
A near-fatal bus-trolley collision in Paris provided seed money for their journey. Edgar sailed steerage-class to the United States to scout opportunities. He earned enough commissions illustrating books to send for Ingri. The couple moved into a cold-water walk-up flat in Brooklyn in 1929. They pursued separate careers during those first years together. Edgar concentrated on wood block engravings and stone lithography. Ingri garnered commissions painting portraits of prominent businessmen. Their work caught the eye of the director at New York Public Library. Acting on her suggestion they decided to turn talents toward children's books. They collaborated to create The Magic Rug in 1931. Shortly thereafter they became U.S. citizens. They lived and worked in Wilton Connecticut from 1941 until their deaths. They also maintained a farm in Royalton Vermont.The Golden Age Of Picture Books
They joined a collective of immigrant artists who defined mid-twentieth-century American picture book aesthetics. Feodor Rojankovsky Roger Duvoisin Ludwig Bemelmans Miska Petersham and Tibor Gergely formed this group. These creators helped shape the visual landscape of children's literature. Many early d'Aulaire books depicted scenery and folktales of Norway. Ola Children of the Northlights East of the Sun and West of the Moon appeared during that era. Later attention shifted to their adopted country and its heroes. Pocahontas Benjamin Franklin and Buffalo Bill became subjects for their research. Using travel experiences as inspiration produced twenty-seven illustrated books for children. Edgar illustrated Children of the Soil by Nora Burglon. That work earned a 1932 Newbery Medal runner-up status. The husband-and-wife team created picture books that blended European tradition with American themes.