More than Flower Fairies

Can there be a nicer way to spend Sunday afternoons than curled up with a good book? This is what I've been doing today.

Don't you just love this picture? It was painted by Cicely Mary Barker.

Most people are very familiar with the paintings of Cicely Mary Barker but maybe not the name and so, as she is one of my favourite artists, I'll tell you a little bit about the lady and her work.

Cicely's Flower Fairies are world famous and can be found everywhere on anything from wallpaper to duvet covers as well as in the traditional little books. The first book, 'Flower Fairies of the Spring', was published in 1923. Above are examples of the early book covers whilst below are the modern and more colourful paperback versions which children of today will find more appealing. (I prefer the older ones!)

Cicely's family lived in Croydon south London and her sister ran a kindergarten there. It was here that Cicely sketched many of the pupils that were to inspire her Flower Fairy images and much of her life's other work.

There are countless different Flower Fairies but the Apple Blossom Fairy is one of the best loved and the image has been used time and again for over 80 years.

If you'd like to find out more about Cicely Mary Barker, her life and work I know you'll enjoy this book by Jane Laing (first published 1995). It is full of wonderful coloured illustrations and information about the sweet lady that painted them.

Cicely had a great imagination and a talent for creating fantasy worlds and wrote a number of short stories. The book above contains four of them.

The stories are typical of their time and perhaps a little too sentimental for today's children but I love them. Just look at poor little Susan sitting on the bed patching her shabby old clothes.

Most pictures in the stories are happy ones like this which shows little girls making necklaces from forget-me-not flowers.

Cicely Mary Barker was born in 1895 and as a child suffered much ill-health. She was educated at home and during those years taught herself to draw.

Throughout her life she had a strong Christian faith and her painting of the young Christ (below) is an image English Sunday School pupils (past and present) are familiar with.

During her life Cicely painted countless other religious pictures.

This one showing street children looking in wonder at the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus was painted as a Christmas card in 1934.

Cicely Mary Barker died in 1973 after a quiet life spent as a dedicated artist. She was much loved by all who knew her and her timeless images remain as popular today as ever.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to have the talent to create images like this.

If you'd like to have a go at crafting flower fairies rather than painting them you might want to pop over to Knitting Tree where you'll find some cute little flower fairies made from artificial flowers and there's a useful tutorial showing how to make them. I reckon all little girls would love to try their hand at making a few of these fairy folk

Until next time
Eli

Comments

[Julie]

When I was at school in the 60's there was a book of all her stories and poems that each us little girls had an eye on to borrow from the school library, and each of the pictures had the tissue paper covering it. I also had and still have a full set of her books at home so I was never bothered whether I could borrow it or not.

[Debbie]

I had a set of Flower Fairy books when I was very little. I loved them and read them over and over, but I think I love Cicelys art even more now! Both my Daughters love her books and my husband even painted Flower Fairies on my youngest Daughters bedroom wall at our old house. It was actually quite a wrench when we moved to leave them!

[Paula]

Dear Eli,

I LOVE Cicely Mary Barker! Her illustrations are absolutely some of the most beautiful I have seen. The Lord blessed her with incredible talent, and she was such a sweet and charming lady, too. I love the photos of her, young and older. You can see a joy in her eyes though she suffered ill-health. I am sure her strong Christian faith helped her through each day. I have her Deluxe Book of Flower Fairies, and have seen most of the photos you shared, but I had not seen her painting of young Jesus and Mary with baby Jesus. They are so beautiful!!! How wonderful you have so many books she has written and illustrated, and a book about her. I prefer the older books, too. You have quite a lovely collection. Thank you for sharing dear Eli. I will have to look for those. I would especially love to read more about her and her art. I certainly would love to create images like she did. I think it is wonderful she taught herself to draw. I enjoyed your inspiring post so very much... as I always do!

Love,
Paula

[Janine W]

Thru reading your blog I am learning so much, and you share the sweetest things - Cicely mary Baker was soooo talented at capturing the essesnce of the children she painted and turned in to fairies - they are so so beautiful

Thank you so much for sharing xox

[Rhondi]

Hi Eli
What a lovely post. The pictures look familiar to me but the name isn't. I'm going to look on Amazon.com and see if they have any of her books.
Rhondi xo

[Penny]

We had flower fairy books when I was little.

I never realised she lived in Croydon - that is so far removed from the rural idyll she drew.

[Bienchen57]

Dear Eli!
Oh, I like the books of Cicely. Thank you for reminding me. I've just bought: "The Complete Book of the Flower Fairies".
Have a nice week, Sabine from Austria

[Maria]

I didn't know anything about this woman. But I love her wonderful flower fairies. Thank you for the biography. A very interesting post. 1kiss.

[Maggie]

I learned something new from you today.
I love her gorgeous illustrations but never knew much about her.
I collect old picture books and do not have any of hers. It was nice to see some of them from your colleciton. And as you said, many of us know her work, but not her. Thanks!
xxx
Maggie