Looking for the best celestial illustrations? A new book honoring the life of influential astronomer Maria Mitchell from the 19th century was written by Hayley Barrett and illustrated by Diana Sudyka (earlier). Mitchell, who taught at the time-existing women’s college Vassar College, was America’s first professional female astronomer. She also promoted women’s rights and abolition using her position as a world-renowned scientist. With lavish, starry drawings that weave celestial shapes and patterns throughout the story’s earthly aspects, What Miss Mitchell Saw chronicles the tale of Mitchell’s life and is aimed for young readers.
Diana Sudyka, an illustrator, tells Colossal, “I was immediately taken by the elegance of Barrett’s writing, and her genuine regard for Maria Mitchell was extremely clear. It was significant to me as a manuscript about the power of observation and as a representation of a woman in science at a period when there were few of them and even fewer who were acknowledged for their accomplishments. The artist admits that she knew little about Mitchell at the outset of the project but discovered via research how the Quaker faith and Nantucket whaling tradition influenced Mitchell’s personality and worldview.
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The imagery for What Miss Mitchell Saw was created by Sudyka using handmade indigo, gouache, watercolor, and india ink. When the photographs are ready to be included in the book, the artist uses some digital techniques after starting off by working entirely by hand and in full color.
Sudyka tells Colossal that she was inspired by scrimshaw (decorative and narrative carvings into whale bones by whalers), as well as Rockwell Kent’s illustrations for an edition of Moby Dick, to compliment the artist’s established aesthetic, which organically blended with the storyline. The hardest part of writing this book, according to Sudyka, was just locating reliable sources to ensure that she accurately captured the atmosphere of that era on Nantucket.
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In addition to her work as an illustrator for children’s books, Sudyka enjoys science and natural history and has volunteered for more than ten years at the Field Museum of Natural History’s bird lab. You may acquire prints at the artist’s webshop and view more of her work on Instagram. Simon and Shuster released What Miss Mitchell Saw last month; it is now available on Amazon.
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