Susan Einzig facts for kids

Susan Einzig (1922—2009) was a British artist. She was known for her work as an illustrator, painter, and art teacher. She is most famous for drawing the pictures for the children's book Tom's Midnight Garden. This popular book was written by Philippa Pearce.

Biography

Early Life and Moving to England

Einzig's cover illustration for Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce, 1958

Susan Einzig was born Suzanne Henriette Einzig on November 16, 1922. Her birthplace was Dahlem, a part of Berlin, Germany. She grew up in a wealthy Jewish family. Her father, who managed a clothing company, saw her artistic talent. When she was 15, Susan started studying art at the Breuer School of Design.

Two years later, she moved to England. She traveled on one of the last Kindertransport trains. These trains helped many children escape before World War II began. Her brother joined her, and later her mother came too. Sadly, her father passed away during this difficult time.

Art Studies and Wartime Work

In London, Susan lived with family friends in Hampstead Garden Suburb. She enrolled at the Central School of Arts and Crafts. There, she learned different art techniques. She studied wood engraving and also drawing and illustration.

During World War II, she helped with the war effort. In 1942, she worked in a factory that made aircraft. Later, she became a technical draughtsman for the War Office. This meant she drew detailed plans for military use.

Career as an Illustrator

After the war, Susan began her career as an illustrator. In 1945, she got her first big job. She was asked to illustrate a children's book called Mary Belinda and the Ten Aunts. For this book, she used a special printing method called autolithography. This is where the artist draws directly onto the printing surface.

Susan illustrated many other books. One of her most famous works is Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce (1958). This book won the Carnegie Medal in 1959, a major award for children's literature. She also illustrated The Bastables by E. Nesbit (1966).

Besides books, Susan worked for many magazines. These included Lilliput, Picture Post, and House and Garden. She also regularly drew for the Radio Times starting around 1948.

Teaching and Later Life

To earn more money, Susan also taught art part-time. She worked at the Camberwell School of Art. Some of her students there became famous artists. She also taught former soldiers, including musicians like Humphrey Lyttelton.

From 1959 to 1988, she was a lecturer at the Chelsea School of Art and Design. She later became a senior lecturer. Many of her students became successful illustrators and even actors, like Alan Rickman.

Susan continued to work as an illustrator and a fine artist. Her prints were shown in exhibitions. Her paintings were displayed at famous places like the Royal Academy of Arts and the Victoria and Albert Museum. She lived in Fulham, London, in her later years. Susan Einzig passed away on December 25, 2009, at the Royal Brompton Hospital. She was 87 years old.

Books illustrated

• Norah Pulling, Mary Belinda and the Ten Aunts, 1945
• Norah Pulling, Miss Richard's Mouse, 1946
• Eduard Mörike, Mozart on the Way to Prague, 1946
• Rex Warner, The Vengeance of the Gods, Macgibbon & Kee, 1954
• Alphonse Daudet, Sappho: a Picture of Life in Paris, The Folio Society, 1954
• Valerie Hastings, Jo and the Skiffle Group, Max Parrish & Co, 1958
• Philippa Pearce, Tom's Midnight Garden, Oxford University Press, 1958
• Hester Burton, Her First Ball, Oxford University Press, 1959
• Gillian Avery, In the Window Seat: A Collection of Victorian Stories, Oxford University Press, 1960
• Margaret Love, An Explorer for an Aunt , Follett Publishing Company, 1960
• Eleanor Spence, Lillipilly Hill, Oxford University Press, 1960
• Eleanor Spence, The Green Laurel, Oxford University Press, 1963
• Elizabeth Poston, The Children's Songbook, 1961
• Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, abridged by E. M. Atwood, Longmans, 1962
• Jane Gaskell, Attic Summer, Hodder & Stoughton, 1963
• Robert Gittings and Jo Manton, The Story of John Keats, E. P. Dutton & Co, 1963
• Meindert DeJong, The Tower by the Sea, Lutterworth Press, 1964
• E. Nesbit, The Bastables, Nonesuch Press, 1966