Tasha Tudor: an appreciation

If I told you that Starling Burgess had died, you’d probably ask who he is.

But I sure have heard many wistful ‘ahs’ when people learned that Tasha Tudor (opens in a new window) died this past June at age 92. (She legally changed her name early on.)

Maybe she instinctively knew that Sterling Burgess wasn’t such a great name for an artistic soul.

Tasha Tudor was a prolific author and illustrator who rejected the 20th century to which she was born. Instead, she preferred the 19th century, reflected in the sweet, idealized images she created.

It was interesting to me when I found that her first book, Pumpkin Moonshine (opens in a new window) (Simon & Schuster) — which depicts a rural autumn in all its glory — is still in print.

A lot of Tasha Tudor’s books are still available, not just because she was prolific, but perhaps because her work provides a glimpse into a different, kinder, time and place.

Maybe Tudor’s books provide a respite from today’s frenzied life — the “real world” and its problems. In any case, Tasha Tudor will continue to live on through her work. And she will continue to be loved.