Mildred Mary Ratcliffe FSSI (1899–1988) was an English painter, commercial artist & calligrapher, known for her poster designs for the Post Office Savings Bank.

Biography

Ratcliffe was born on 17 October 1899 in Rochester, Kent as the second of Alfred and Rose Ratcliffe's seven children, and was educated by a

governess A governess is a woman employed as a private tutor, who teaches and trains a child or children in their home. A governess often lives in the same residence as the children she is teaching; depending on terms of their employment, they may or ma ...

, before attending

Rochester Grammar School for Girls Rochester Grammar School (known as Rochester Grammar School for Girls until 2006) often abbreviated to RGS is a grammar school for the education of girls between the ages of 11 and 18. It has academy status. It is now known as just "Rochester ...

. Upon leaving school Ratcliffe took up a position as a wages clerk with the

Civil Service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

, at

Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham, Kent, Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham, Kent, Gillingham; at its most extens ...

. Approximately four years later, she became a clerical officer with the Post Office Savings Bank, at

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. It ...

. In the mid-1920s she transferred to their new publicity unit, spending the rest of her career there designing posters and other promotional material. She also designed the bank's annual Christmas card for members of the royal family. In 1950 Ratcliffe

scribe A scribe is a person who serves as a professional copyist, especially one who made copies of manuscripts before the invention of Printing press, automatic printing. The work of scribes can involve copying manuscripts and other texts as well as ...

d and illuminated, in gold, a 'Book of Acknowledgement', for the Benenden Civil Service Chest Hospital's Appeal Fund. The book was presented to

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms * Queen B ...

on 6 July 1950, when she opened the hospital. She also lettered two books of remembrance for

St Mark's Church, Surbiton St Mark's Church, Surbiton, is one of two Church of England parish churches in Surbiton, London - the other is St Andrew's Church, Surbiton, St Andrew's. It is dedicated to Mark the Evangelist, Saint Mark, and is situated near the top of St Mark's ...

. She exhibited at two

Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

summer exhibitions and was appointed a Fellow of the Society of Scribes and Illuminators (FSSI). For most of her life, Ratcliffe lived alone in a flat in

West Kensington West Kensington, formerly North End, is an area in the ancient parish of Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, England, 3.4 miles (5.5 km) west of Charing Cross. It covers most of the London postal area of W14, includ ...

, London, before retiring to a cottage at 1, Mill Street,

Loose Loose may refer to: Places * Loose, Germany * Loose, Kent, a parish and village in southeast England People * Loose (surname) Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums * ''Loose'' (B'z album), a 1995 album by B'z * ''Loose'' (Crazy Horse album ...

, Kent in 1959. In retirement, she joined and exhibited with the Maidstone Art Society, served as life vice-president of the Civil Service Arts Club, and acted as art tutor to local children. Ratcliffe died on 19 October 1988. Her funeral took place at All Saints' Church, Loose. Examples of her work are in the collections of the

Imperial War Museums The Imperial War Museum (IWM), currently branded "Imperial War Museums", is a British national museum. It is headquartered in London, with five branches in England. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, it was intended to record the civi ...

The Postal Museum The Postal Museum (formerly the British Postal Museum & Archive) is a postal museum run by the Postal Heritage Trust. It began in 2004 as The British Postal Museum & Archive and opened in Central London as The Postal Museum on 28 July 2017. Si ...

The National Archives National archives are the archives of a country. The concept evolved in various nations at the dawn of modernity based on the impact of nationalism upon bureaucratic processes of paperwork retention. Conceptual development From the Middle Ages i ...

, and Maidstone Museum & Art Gallery. Maidstone Art Society award a Mildred Ratcliffe Prize for 'Best in Show' at their annual exhibition.

References

External links

Wherever You Go There is a Post Office
Post Office Savings Bank booklet, featuring Ratcliffe's painting of the Post Office at

Biddenden Biddenden is a large, mostly agricultural and wooded village and civil parish in the borough of Ashford in Kent, England. The village lies on the Weald of Kent, north of Tenterden. It was a centre for the Wealden iron industry and clothmaking. ...

Ratcliffe's painting of West Wycombe
in a Tweet by the Postal Museum
Facsimile of the Benenden book
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ratcliffe, Mildred Mary 1890s births 1988 deaths 20th-century English women artists 20th-century English painters 20th-century calligraphers Artists from Kent English calligraphers People educated at Rochester Grammar School English illustrators People from Loose, Kent People from Rochester, Kent People from West Kensington