Joyce Dennys facts for kids

Isobel Dorothy Joyce Dennys (born August 14, 1893 – died February 23, 1991) was a talented English artist. She was known for her cartoons, illustrations, and paintings. Joyce Dennys helped during both the First World War and the Second World War. She created posters to encourage people to join the war effort.

After the First World War, she lived and worked in Australia for a short time. When she returned to England, she drew funny pictures and comic strips for magazines. She also illustrated many books. Later in her life, Joyce Dennys started painting with oils. Her artworks are now in museums. A special blue plaque was placed on her home in Budleigh Salterton to remember her amazing life.

Joyce Dennys' Early Life

Joyce Dennys was born on August 14, 1893, in India. At that time, India was part of the British Empire. Her father, Charles John Dennys, was a captain in the army. Her mother, Lucy Winewood, was from Scotland.

When Joyce was three years old, her family moved from India to Eastbourne, England. She went to kindergarten and Eastbourne Ladies' College there. Later, her father retired, and the family moved to Budleigh Salterton in Devon.

School Days and Art Training

From 1909 to 1912, Joyce went to Princess Helena College in Ealing. She was very good at art and sports, and her school magazine often mentioned her talents. After college, she studied art at the Exeter Art School.

Helping During World War I

During the First World War, Joyce Dennys joined the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD). This group helped wounded soldiers. From December 1914 to December 1915, she worked as a nurse at a hospital in Budleigh Salterton. Then, from January to October 1916, she worked at a bigger military hospital in Exeter. She also studied at the London School of Art and continued to help the war effort.

Joyce Dennys' Career as an Artist

Joyce Dennys used her artistic skills to help her country. In 1915, she designed posters to recruit people for the VAD. Two years later, she made posters for the Women's Royal Naval Service.

She also illustrated books for children. For example, she drew pictures for Our Hospital ABC in 1916 and 1917. She also illustrated books of rhymes about the YMCA called Our Girls in War Time and Rhymes of the Red Triangle. In May 1918, some of her pictures were shown at an art exhibition to help the Serbian Red Cross.

Working in Australia

After the First World War, Joyce Dennys moved to Kyogle, Australia, in 1919. Her art was very popular there. Her work was shown in art exhibitions in Sydney. She also had her drawings published in Australian magazines like The Bulletin and Home. However, Joyce Dennys was not happy in Australia, so she returned to England in 1921.

Illustrations and Humorous Works

Back in England, Joyce continued her work as an artist. She drew cover illustrations for many books. She also created funny sketches and comic strips for popular magazines like Harper's Bazaar, Punch, and The Sketch. She even did commercial work, like advertisements for cigarettes.

Joyce Dennys wrote and illustrated a series of funny books about a doctor's wife. These books were called Mrs Dose the Doctor's Wife (1930), Repeated Doses (1931), and The Over-Dose. The last book introduced a character named Henrietta Spatula, who became very popular in The Sketch magazine. In 1932, she illustrated a book by Beverley Nichols called For Adults Only.

Writing Plays

Joyce Dennys also wrote plays. Her first play, The Cup That Cheers, was published in 1934. In 1936, she wrote a play called Rain Before Seven. This play was about a young English wife who felt lonely in Australia.

World War II and Later Works

During the Second World War, Joyce Dennys illustrated several children's books. She also continued to draw funny letters from her character Henrietta for The Sketch magazine. These letters appeared from October 1939 to August 1946, and again in the mid-1950s.

After the war, she wrote more plays. Her play The Bells Ring was performed in 1947. Two years later, The End of the Song was performed. She wrote many plays for amateur theater groups and often designed the covers for them.

Oil Painting and Autobiography

When Joyce Dennys was 70 years old, she started a new hobby: oil painting. She first painted flowers, then scenes of Budleigh Salterton. Some of her oil paintings are now in museums, including the Imperial War Museum.

In 1983, Joyce Dennys wrote her autobiography, which is a book about her own life. It was called And Then There Was One. Parts of her popular Henrietta letters were also published in two collections in the mid-1980s.

Personal Life

Joyce Dennys married Thomas Charles Cann Evans, a doctor, on January 2, 1919. They had two children together. Her husband passed away in 1965. Joyce Dennys died at her home in Camden, London, on February 23, 1991.

Legacy and Recognition

Joyce Dennys is remembered for her unique ability to capture the feeling of her time, especially during the two World Wars. Her lively and gently funny illustrations and letters from the war years are still enjoyed by people today.

In April 2015, a special blue plaque was placed on her home in Budleigh Salterton. This plaque honors important people and events. It was installed after a campaign to celebrate her life and contributions. That same year, the BBC and the Public Catalogue Foundation put many of her paintings of Budleigh Salterton online. The British Red Cross Museum also has a handwritten note with drawings by Joyce Dennys from the First World War in its collection.

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