Mabel Dearmer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mabel Dearmer
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Dearmer in 1890
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| Born |
Mabel White
22 March 1872 |
| Died | 15 July 1915 (aged 43) |
| Cause of death | typhoid |
| Nationality | UK |
| Occupation | illustrator |
| Spouse(s) | Percy Dearmer |
Jessie Mabel Pritchard Dearmer (born White; March 22, 1872 – July 15, 1915) was an English writer and artist. She wrote novels and plays. She also wrote and illustrated children's books. Mabel was a strong believer in peace, known as a pacifist. She sadly died while helping people injured in a war in Serbia.
Contents
Early Life
Jessie Mabel Pritchard White was born on March 22, 1872. Her father was a surgeon. Mabel studied art in London. In 1891, she joined a famous art school run by Hubert von Herkomer. She left the next year to marry Percy Dearmer. He was a priest who believed in social justice.
Her Creative Work
Illustrating Books
In 1896, Mabel started drawing for popular magazines. These included The Yellow Book and The Studio. She even designed the cover for issue number nine of The Yellow Book. Soon after, she began focusing on drawing for children's books.
Mabel created pictures for books by other authors. These included Wymps, and Other Fairy Tales by Evelyn Sharp. She also illustrated The Story of the Seven Young Goslings by Laurence Housman in 1899. Mabel also wrote and illustrated her own books. Some of these were Round-about Rhymes (1898) and The Book of Penny Toys (1899). Another was The Noah’s Ark Geography (1900).
Writing for Adults and Plays
From 1902, Mabel started writing books for grown-ups. Her first adult novel was The Noisy Years. Its follow-up, Brownjohn’s, came out in 1906. Her life story, called The Difficult Way, was published in 1905. Other books she wrote include The Orangery: A Comedy of Tears (1904). She also wrote The Alien Sisters (1908) and Gervase (1909).
Mabel also loved writing plays. In 1911, she started the Morality Play Society. This group performed her plays. Two of her plays were The Soul of the World and The Dreamer.
Helping During Wartime
Mabel Dearmer was a strong pacifist. This means she believed in peace and was against war. However, she went with her husband when he volunteered to help during World War I. He became a chaplain for the British Red Cross.
Mabel joined the Third Serbian Relief Unit. She worked as a nursing helper. She traveled to Serbia in April 1915. Sadly, she became sick with typhoid fever in June. She then died from pneumonia on July 15, 1915. Her letters from the hospital were published after she died. The book was called Letters from a field hospital.
Three months after Mabel's death, her younger son, Christopher, also died. He passed away during the Gallipoli Campaign. Her older son, Geoffrey Dearmer, lived a very long life. He reached the age of 103.
Works
- Roundabout Rhymes (1898)
- The Book of Penny Toys (1899)
- Noah's Ark Geography (1900)
- The Noisy Years (1903)
- The Difficult Way (1905)
- Brownjohn's (1906)
- A Child's Life of Christ (1907)
- The Alien Sisters (1908)
- Gervase (1909)
- Nan Pilgrim (1909)
- The Soul of the World: A Mystery Play (1911)
- The Dreamer: A Poetic Drama (1912)
- The Cockyolly Bird (1913) (with Martin Shaw)
- The Cockyolly Bird: A Book of the Play (1914)
