Margaret Hamilton remembers Marianne Yamaguchi…
Marianne Illenberger Yamaguchi was born in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio in 1936. She received a B.F.A. from the Rhode Island School of Design and later worked as a high school art teacher in Australia where she came to live in 1973 with her family. Since her husband Tohr’s death she has lived in Tokyo, Japan.
Marianne worked on the illustrations of several books for Angus & Robertson, particularly those written by Eric Rolls. She then illustrated a number of significant Australian children’s books, which include:
SADAKO AND THE THOUSAND PAPER CRANES, written by Eleanor Coerr (Hodder & Stoughton Australia, 1981)
THE MIRACLE TREE, written by Christobel Mattingley (Hodder & Stoughton Australia, 1985)
THE PLUM-RAIN SCROLL, PEONY LANTERN and DRAGON STONE, written by Ruth Manley (Hodder & Stoughton Australia, 1979 – 1987)
NANANGKA, written by Yvonne Winer (Margaret Hamilton Books, 1998).
I had the pleasure of working on all of these books with Marianne. She was a highly professional and talented illustrator. She was also very generous, supporting other illustrators. In 2010 she purchased an original illustration by John Winch from his book FLY KITE FLY and donated it to the Eric Carle Museum. I am honoured that I have original artwork by Marianne in my collection at Pinerolo, these from SADAKO & THE THOUSAND PAPER CRANES, THE MIRACLE TREE and NANANGKA.
Marianne died, on 30 May, with a copy of THE MIRACLE TREE on her bedside table in hospital.
Margaret Hamilton AM
