In an earlier Archive entry, we examined a Snow White book from 1960. While not a Disney produced title, it nonetheless closely followed the story version told in the Disney film. Nardini, the illustrator of that book, filled the pages with dynamic compositions, some of it quite reflective of the original Disney studio artwork. Today, Snow White collector Titania Hill shares a few scans from another book, this one printed in Finland in 1969. It too shares similarities with the original Disney work, as well as with the 1960 Nardini book. The text is in Finnish and is marked "Copyright © 1969 by ED. G. Malipiero Bologna. All Rights Reserved. Printed in Finland. All Rights Reserved in Finland to ARTOKO Inc." G. Malipiero is the author/editor, and the artwork was created by Canaider, who signed most of his illustrations. To avoid copyright infringement issues with Disney, the publisher/artist would certainly have to make the dwarfs as non-Disney as possible. Still, it's interesting that one of the little men was given "Doc" glasses. Aspects of the artwork do clearly draw from Disney. Add a red bow in the hair and some color to Snow White's shoulders and you have a Disney princess. A black babushka instead of yellow would just about give us the Disney Witch. As with the earlier book, the story also follows closely to the Disney version, particularly when it comes to such details as the Witch's demise. Disney-influenced or not, these storybook illustrations from the 1960s are some nice examples of Snow White artwork. Illustrations copyright Canaider/Ed. G. Malipiero. Scans courtesy of the Titania Hill Collection.
