Agnes Miller Parker (1895–1980) was an engraver, illustrator and painter in oil and tempera. Born in Ayrshire, she spent most of her career in London and southern Britain. She is especially known as a twentieth century wood-engraver thanks to her collaboration with H. E. Bates, which resulted in two outstanding wood engraved books: ''Through the Woods (1936)'' and ''Down the River (1937)'', published by

Victor Gollancz Sir Victor Gollancz (; 9 April 1893 – 8 February 1967) was a British publisher and humanitarian. Gollancz was known as a supporter of left-wing causes. His loyalties shifted between liberalism and communism, but he defined himself as a Chris ...

Biography

Agnes Miller Parker (name on birth certificate Agnes Millar Parker) was born on 3 April 1895 at Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland. She studied at the

Glasgow School of Art The Glasgow School of Art (GSA; gd, Sgoil-ealain Ghlaschu) is a higher education art school based in Glasgow, Scotland, offering undergraduate degrees, post-graduate awards (both taught and research-led), and PhDs in architecture, fine art, an ...

from 1911 to 1917, and joined the staff of the School for a short period. In 1918 she married the painter, William McCance; and thereafter passed most of her career in London and southern Britain. In 1955 they separated and Parker moved to Glasgow. They officially divorced in 1963 when she went to live in Lamlash on the Isle of Arran. She died in 1980 at Greenock. Parker's early paintings, as well as those of her husband, reflect the short-lived group of artists known as

Vorticists Vorticism was a London-based Modernism, modernist art movement formed in 1914 by the writer and artist Wyndham Lewis. The movement was partially inspired by Cubism and was introduced to the public by means of the publication of the Vorticist mani ...

, active in London in the 1920s. The main body of her work consists of wood-engravings for book illustrations that demonstrate fine draughtsmanship and skilful use of black and white design. She illustrated ''The Fables of

Aesop Aesop ( or ; , ; c. 620–564 BCE) was a Greek fabulist and storyteller credited with a number of fables now collectively known as ''Aesop's Fables''. Although his existence remains unclear and no writings by him survive, numerous tales c ...

'' (1931), ''Through the Woods'' by H. E. Bates (1936), ''The Open Air'' by

Richard Jefferies John Richard Jefferies (6 November 1848 – 14 August 1887) was an English nature writer, noted for his depiction of English rural life in essays, books of natural history, and novels. His childhood on a small Wiltshire farm had a great influ ...

(edited by Samuel J. Looker, 1949)"Life In The Open",(Review of ''The Open Air''), ''

The Glasgow Herald ''The Herald'' is a Scottish broadsheet newspaper founded in 1783. ''The Herald'' is the longest running national newspaper in the world and is the eighth oldest daily paper in the world. The title was simplified from ''The Glasgow Herald'' in ...

'', 16 December 1948 (p. 3). and her most acclaimed work, '' Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard'' by

Thomas Gray Thomas Gray (26 December 1716 – 30 July 1771) was an English poet, letter-writer, classical scholar, and professor at Pembroke College, Cambridge. He is widely known for his '' Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard,'' published in 1751. G ...

(1938), titles for the Limited Editions Club of New York and editions of the works of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

and Thomas Hardy.

Books illustrated

Rhoda Power Rhoda Dolores Le Poer Power (29 May 1890 in Altrincham, Cheshire – 9 March 1957 in London), was a pioneer English broadcaster and children's writer. The highly regarded set of stories that make up ''Redcap Runs Away'' (1952) are set in the Mid ...

– ''How It Happened: Myths & Folk Tales'' (CUP, 1930) *

– '' The Fables of Esope'' ( Gregynog Press, 1933) * Rhys Davies et al. – ''Daisy Matthews and Three Other Tales'' (GCP, 1932) * John Sampson – ''XXI Welsh Gypsy Tales'' (Gregynog Press, 1933) * H. E. Bates – ''The House with The Apricot'' (GCP, 1933) * Adrien Le Corbeau – '' The Forest Giant'' (Cape, 1935) * H. E. Bates – ''Through The Woods'' (Gollancz, 1936) * H. E. Bates – ''Down The River'' (Gollancz, 1937) * Thomas Gray – ''Elegy Written In A Country Churchyard'' (NY: Limited Editions Club, 1940) * A.E. Housman – '' A Shropshire Lad'' (Harrap, 1940) *

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

– '' Richard II'' (NY: Limited Editions Club, 1940) * Thomas Hardy – ''The Return Of The Native'' (NY: Limited Editions Club, 1942) * Herbert Furst – ''Essays In Russet'' (Muller, 1944) *

– ''Spring Of The Year'' (Lutterworth, 1946) * Richard Jefferies – ''Life Of The Fields'' (Lutterworth, 1947) * Richard Jefferies – ''The Old House At Coate'' (Lutterworth, 1948) * Richard Jefferies – ''Field and Hedgerow'' (Lutterworth, 1948) * Andrew McCormick – ''The Gold Torque: A Story of Galloway in Early Christian Times'' (Glasgow: McLellan, 1951) * Aloysius Roche – ''Animals Under The Rainbow'' (Welwyn: Broad Water press, 1952) * Edmund Spenser – '' The Faerie Queen'' (NY: Limited Editions Club, 1953) * Eiluned Lewis – ''Honey Pots and Brandy Bottles'' (Country Life, 1954) *

John Cowper Powys John Cowper Powys (; 8 October 187217 June 1963) was an English philosopher, lecturer, novelist, critic and poet born in Shirley, Derbyshire, where his father was vicar of the parish church in 1871–1879. Powys appeared with a volume of verse ...

– ''Lucifer'' (MacDonald, 1956) * Thomas Hardy – '' Tess of the d'Urbervilles'' (NY: Limited Editions Club, 1956) * Thomas Hardy – '' Far From The Madding Crowd'' (NY: Limited Editions Club, 1958) * William Shakespeare – '' The Tragedies'' (NY: Limited Editions Club, 1959) * Thomas Hardy – ''

The Mayor of Casterbridge ''The Mayor of Casterbridge: The Life and Death of a Man of Character'' is an 1886 novel by the English author Thomas Hardy. One of Hardy's Wessex novels, it is set in a fictional rural England with Casterbridge standing in for Dorchester in ...

'' (NY: Limited Editions Club, 1967) * William Shakespeare – ''Poems'' (NY: Limited Editions Club, 1967) * Thomas Hardy – ''

Jude The Obscure ''Jude the Obscure'' is a novel by Thomas Hardy, which began as a magazine serial in December 1894 and was first published in book form in 1895 (though the title page says 1896). It is Hardy's last completed novel. The protagonist, Jude Fawley ...

'' (NY: Limited Editions Club, 1969)

References

External links

Agnes Miller Parker images
on Invaluable {{DEFAULTSORT:Miller Parker, Agnes 1895 births 1980 deaths 20th-century Scottish women artists Artists from the Isle of Arran British illustrators Scottish wood engravers Scottish illustrators People from Irvine, North Ayrshire Alumni of the Glasgow School of Art Women engravers 20th-century engravers

Biography

Books illustrated

References

Further reading

External links