Phyllis Ginger facts for kids

Phyllis Ethel Ginger (born October 19, 1907 – died May 3, 2005) was a talented British artist and illustrator. She worked in many different art forms throughout her long career.

Phyllis is most famous for her watercolour paintings of places, especially those she created during World War II for a special project called Recording Britain. She also illustrated many books and designed cool graphics for advertisements and book covers.

Phyllis Ginger's Life and Art

Phyllis Ginger was born in New Malden, a town in Surrey, England. She went to the Tiffin Girls' School in Kingston upon Thames. Even at school, she showed a natural talent for art and took evening art classes.

Early Training and Education

Her father was an amateur artist, but her parents wanted Phyllis to have a more traditional job. So, she worked as a junior civil servant for a few years. But her passion for art never faded!

In 1932, Phyllis decided to follow her dream. She enrolled at the Richmond School of Art. Later, she took evening classes at the Central School of Art and Design. When she was 30, she won a scholarship. This allowed her to study art full-time until 1939.

Becoming a Recognized Artist

Phyllis's art started to get noticed. In 1938, she showed her work at the famous Royal Academy of Arts for the first time. The next year, she joined two art groups: the Senefelder Club and the Allied International Artists. Her art even began to get attention from other countries.

In 1939, she was asked to paint a London bridge as a gift for the American ambassador. The Library of Congress in the United States bought one of her prints, called Snow Day at St Bartholomew's Hospital.

Art During World War II

During World War II, Phyllis Ginger worked on an important project called Recording Britain. This project aimed to create a visual record of buildings and landscapes. These places were considered "at risk" from wartime bombing or new developments.

Many of Phyllis's watercolours from this time show signs of bomb damage. For example, her paintings of the Council House in Bristol and Catherine Place in Bath include damaged areas. Some of her pictures of Cheltenham show American soldiers. A large barrage balloon can be seen in one of her paintings of Regent's Park.

During the Blitz, when London was heavily bombed, Phyllis painted the Goldsmiths' Hall after it was damaged. Both the War Artists' Advisory Committee and the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths bought versions of this powerful painting.

After the War: Illustrations and Exhibitions

After the war, in 1946, Phyllis moved back to London. She continued her work as a commercial artist. In 1947, she illustrated a children's book called The Mushroom Pony. She also wrote and illustrated her own children's book, Alexander, the Circus Pony, in 1943.

Phyllis created illustrations for several books by author Madeleine Henrey. In 1947, she made a colourful print called Town Centre for a special series called School Prints.

In 1952, she became a member of the Royal Society of Painters in Watercolours. She continued to show her art with them for the rest of her life. In the 1970s, she also exhibited etchings at the Royal Academy of Arts and with the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers. Later in her life, she focused more on painting portraits of people.

Family Life

Phyllis Ginger married Leslie Durbin, a silversmith, in 1940. They had met while studying art together. They had two children, a son and a daughter. For many years, their family lived in Kew, London. Leslie Durbin passed away a few months before Phyllis in 2005.