Margaret Tarrant facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Margaret Winifred Tarrant
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| Born | 19 August 1888 Battersea, London, England
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| Died | 28 July 1959 Cornwall, England
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| Education | Clapham School of Art Heatherley's School of Art Guildford School of Art |
| Occupation | Children's author and illustrator Christian artist |
| Years active | 1908–1952 |
| Known for | Illustrations of fairies, children, religious subjects |
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Notable work
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The Water Babies Forest Fairies Nursery Rhymes |
| Parent(s) | Percy Tarrant and Sarah Wyatt |
Margaret Winifred Tarrant (born August 19, 1888 – died July 29, 1959) was a famous English artist. She was known for her beautiful illustrations, especially of fairies, children, and religious scenes. Margaret started her career when she was 20 years old. She created many popular children's books, postcards, and calendars.
Contents
About Margaret Tarrant
Margaret Tarrant was born in Battersea, South London, England, on August 19, 1888. She was the only child of Percy Tarrant, who was also a landscape painter and illustrator. Margaret loved drawing from a very young age. She even pretended to have art shows for her parents in a tent made of clothes and sheets!
She went to Clapham High School from 1898 to 1905. There, she won several awards for her art. After high school, she attended the Clapham School of Art. She first thought about becoming an art teacher. However, her father encouraged her to become a full-time watercolor painter and book illustrator instead.
Later Life and Friendships
Margaret's parents passed away in 1934. Around 1935, she moved to Peaslake in Surrey. Margaret never got married. However, she had many loyal and lasting friends. She made these friends through her painting and her church activities.
Her church was a very important part of her life. She helped organize sales to support the Church Missionary Society. She even drove the local Vicar around in her car sometimes!
Margaret's health and eyesight started to get worse in 1953. By 1958, she felt too unwell to live alone. She moved to Cornwall to live with her friend and fellow illustrator, Molly Brett. Sadly, she was very ill by then and spent several months in the hospital. Margaret Tarrant passed away on July 28, 1959. She left most of her money to twelve different charities.
Margaret Tarrant's Art and Books
Margaret Tarrant began her career by designing Christmas cards. But it was her amazing book illustrations that made her truly famous. She created cards for several publishers, including The Medici Society. Her postcards were also very popular. For example, her illustrations for Nursery Rhymes (1914) were later sold as 48 best-selling postcards.
Even after becoming a well-known artist, Margaret continued to take art classes. She studied at the Heatherley School of Fine Art several times. After moving to Peaslake, she took a course at the Guildford School of Art. This is where she met and became friends with Molly Brett.
Working with The Medici Society
Margaret had a long and successful partnership with The Medici Society. They published her postcards, calendars, prints, and other artworks. She started working with them regularly in 1920. Even today, The Medici Society still publishes her beautiful work.
In 1934, The Medici Society sponsored a six-week trip for Margaret to Palestine. She kept an illustrated diary of her journey. Part of this diary was later published as A Journey to the Holy Land in 1988. Margaret's pretty and natural-looking illustrations were very popular. They were especially well-known in the 1920s and 1930s. Her delicate watercolors and pen-and-ink drawings are still loved by many people today.
Selected Books by Margaret Tarrant
Margaret Tarrant's first big success came when she was just 20 years old. She created the illustrations for The Water Babies in 1908.
- The Water Babies (1908)
- Autumn Gleanings from the Poets (1910)
- Fairy Stories from Hans Christian Andersen (1910)
- Contes (Charles Perrault, 1910)
- The Pied Piper of Hamelin (Robert Browning, 1912)
- Nursery Rhymes (1914)
- A Picture Birthday Book for Boys and Girls (1915)
- Alice in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll, 1916)
- The Tooksy and Mary Alice Tales (1919)
- Our Day (1923)
- Rhymes of Old Times (1925)
- The Magic Lamplighter (Marion St John Webb, 1926)
- An Alphabet of Magic (Eleanor Farjeon, 1928)
- Mother Goose: Nursery Rhymes (1929)
- The Margaret Tarrant Birthday Book (1932)
- Joan in Flowerland (1935) co-written with Lewis Dutton
- The Margaret Tarrant Nursery Rhyme Book (1944)
- The Story of Christmas (1952)
