Original artwork for the book, Nurse Nancy, written by Kathryn Jackson with illustrations by Corinne Malvern, and published by Simon & Schuster in New York, New York, in 1952.
Raised in New Jersey, Corinne Malvern (1901-1956) was a child actress who, along with her sister, performed in traveling plays, vaudeville and movies. After an accident in her teens, Malvern was forced to give up her acting career and later attended the Art Students League of New York. Proficient in watercolor, pastel, pencil and ink and paint, she launched a career as a commercial artist, and was known for her fashion illustrations and magazine covers. Shortly after, she teamed up with her sister, a children’s author, and began drawing children’s books, including seventeen for the Little Golden Book series, including Doctor Dan, Nurse Nancy, How Big?, Susie’s New Stove, and 5 Pennies to Spend.
Some of the most popular Little Golden Books were early experiments in product placement. In addition to teaching basic first aid tips, Dr. Dan and Nurse Nancy books included junior size Johnson and Johnson Band Aids.
Doctor Dan the Bandage Man and Nurse Nancy represent examples of innovative display and marketing techniques. Simon & Schuster paired with Johnson & Johnson to promote the latter’s brand-name “Band-Aids” and targeted one of its likeliest consumers, children. Boys and girls would sport Band-Aids in colorful shapes of stars, hearts, circles and flowers, from samples included in the pages of the book, all the while learning the basics of first aid.
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