Elizabeth Wright Enright Gillham:
(September 17, 1907 – June 8, 1968).
American writer of children’s books, an illustrator, writer of short stories for adults, literary critic and teacher of creative writing.
Perhaps best known as the Newbery Medal-winning author of Thimble Summer (1938) and the Newbery runner-up Gone-Away Lake (1957), she also wrote the popular Melendy quartet (1941 to 1951).
A Newbery Medal laureate and a multiple winner of the O. Henry Award, her short stories and articles for adults appeared in many popular magazines and have been reprinted in anthologies and textbooks.
October sunshine bathed the park with such a melting light that it had the dimmed impressive look of a landscape by an old master.
This sentence uses ‘visual and painterly imagery’ to describe an autumn scene:
– “Melting light” 🌅 :
— suggests the soft, golden, diffused quality of October sunlight, as if the light itself is dissolving into the air, losing its sharp edges.
– “Dimmed impressive look” 🕯️:
— evokes something muted yet grand, like light filtered through aged varnish.
– “Landscape by an old master” 🖼️ :
— refers to European painters (17th–18th century) such as ‘Rembrandt, Claude Lorrain’, or the Dutch Golden Age landscapists, known for:
– Rich, warm, glowing tones
– Dramatic use of chiaroscuro (light and shadow)
– A patina-like, slightly darkened appearance from aged varnish
Overall effect:
The author compares a natural autumn scene to a classical oil painting — suggesting timelessness, warmth, and a kind of soft grandeur.
🔍 Origin & Authorship:
⚠️ ‘I cannot confirm with certainty’ that this exact sentence comes from Elizabeth Enright.
– Enright (1909–1968) is a plausible guess because:
– She was known for lyrical, visually rich prose
– She often described natural scenes (parks, seasons, light) with painterly comparisons
– Her works (“The Saturdays”, “Thimble Summer”, adult short stories) contain similarly atmospheric descriptions
– However, I do ‘not have verified access’ to a specific text, page, or publication where this exact phrase appears under her name.
