Veronica Ruzicka
Veronica Ruzicka | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 29, 1917 New York, New York, U.S. |
| Died | October 12, 1981 (age 64) Hanover, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Other names | Veronica Laing |
| Occupations | Illustrator, designer, artist |
| Spouse | Alexander Laing m. 1961 |
| Father | Rudolph Ruzicka |
Veronica Ruzicka Laing (September 29, 1917 – October 12, 1981) was an American artist, designer, mapmaker, and illustrator.
Early life and education
Ruzicka was born in New York City, the daughter of typographer and artist Rudolph Ruzicka and Filomena Sprova Ruzicka.[1][2] Both of her parents were immigrants from Bohemia. She graduated from Barnard College in 1939, with further studies at the Grand Central School of Art, Columbia University, and New York University. She trained in military cartography during World War II.[3] She studied decorative papermaking with Rosamond B. Loring in Boston.[4][5]
Career
Ruzicka made maps,[6] illustrations, and decorative endpapers for books[7][8] including Loring's Decorated Book Papers (1942), Robert Frost's A Witness Tree (1942),[9] Ruth Hornblower Churchill's The Home Bible (1951),[10] Alexander Laing's Clipper Ships and their Makers (1966), and The Adams Papers.[2][11]
Personal life and legacy
Ruzicka married writer Alexander Kinnan Laing in 1961.[12] Her husband died in a bicycle accident in 1976,[13] and she died from cancer in 1981, at the age of 64, in Hanover, New Hampshire.[2][6]
There is a large collection of Ruzicka's papers, including original artwork, maps, clippings, correspondence, and photographs, at Dartmouth College Libraries.[3] Her works have been in exhibits at the University of Chicago Library and the Houghton Library.[14]
References
- ^ "Rudolph Ruzicka ([January 5, 1927 to February 3, 1927])". Willa Cather Archive. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
- ^ a b c "Veronica Laing". Valley News. 1981-10-14. p. 4. Retrieved 2026-03-07 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Collection: Veronica Ruzicka papers". Dartmouth Libraries Archives & Manuscripts. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
- ^ "Rosamond B. Loring collection of decorated papers, ca. 1500-ca. 1950". Houghton Library, Harvard University. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
- ^ Ruzicka, Veronica (2013), Hofer, Philip (ed.), "Rosamond Loring as a Teacher and an Artist", Decorated Book Papers: Being an Account of Their Designs and Fashions, Harvard University Press, pp. xxxiii–xxxvi, doi:10.4159/harvard.9780674337060.c5, ISBN 978-0-674-33706-0, retrieved 2026-03-07
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link) - ^ a b "Veronica Laing". The Rutland Daily Herald. 1981-10-14. p. 4. Retrieved 2026-03-07 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Wolfe, Richard J. (1990). Marbled Paper: Its History, Techniques, and Patterns : with Special Reference to the Relationship of Marbling to Bookbinding in Europe and the Western World. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 132. ISBN 978-0-8122-8188-0.
- ^ Diehl, Edith (2013-11-07). Bookbinding: Its Background and Technique. Courier Corporation. p. 188. ISBN 978-0-486-15614-9.
- ^ Cooper Union Museum for the Arts of Decoration; Osmun, William (1954). Decorated book papers : seventeenth to twentieth century. Smithsonian Libraries.
- ^ Bright, Virginia (1956-01-30). "Belmont Grandmother's Bible Goes to Royalty; Edited for Children". The Boston Globe. p. 32. Retrieved 2026-03-07 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Adams Papers Digital Edition". Massachusetts Historical Society. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
- ^ Reginald, R.; Burgess, Mary A.; Menville, Douglas (2010-09-01). Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature Vol 2. Wildside Press LLC. p. 966. ISBN 978-0-941028-78-3.
- ^ "Alexander Laing, Teacher, Writer; Dartmouth Professor Who Wrote About Sea Dies". The New York Times. April 24, 1976. p. 27. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
- ^ Tomase, Jennifer (2007-09-13). "New exhibit at Houghton Library features decorated papers". Harvard Gazette. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
External links
- An endpaper by Ruzicka, at Rhode Island School of Design
- An endpaper by Ruzicka, in an book arts exhibit at University of Chicago Library