Molly Brett (1902–1990) was an English

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicate ...

and writer of children's literature, best known for her

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...

artwork.

Biography

Molly (Mary Elizabeth) Brett grew up in the English county of

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

, surrounded by animals and nature. Her mother, Mary Gould Brett, was a respected animal painter who encouraged her daughter to paint from life, and this is reflected in Molly's gift for making her animals look thoroughly naturalistic while giving them human characteristics and activities. And like

Beatrix Potter Helen Beatrix Heelis (; 28 July 186622 December 1943), usually known as Beatrix Potter ( ), was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist. She is best known for her children's books featuring animals, such as '' ...

, her artwork also reflects her great observational powers in depicting nature, especially notable in her woodland illustrations. Molly began her art training with a correspondence course in illustration, followed by formal instruction at

Press Art School Percy Venner Bradshaw (27 November 1877 – 13 October 1965), who often signed PVB, was a British illustrator who also created the Press Art School, a correspondence course for drawing. Biography Percy Bradshaw was born in Hackney, part of L ...

and the Guildford Art School. It was at Guildford that she met

Margaret Tarrant Margaret Winifred Tarrant (19 August 1888 – 28 July 1959) was an English illustrator, and children's author, specializing in depictions of fairy-like children and religious subjects. She began her career at the age of 20, and painted and ...

(also destined to attain substantial fame as an illustrator), who soon became a close friend and lived with her in Cornwall. She began her career by illustrating "weekly papers" for children. One of her earliest commissions was to illustrate stories by

Enid Blyton Enid Mary Blyton (11 August 1897 – 28 November 1968) was an English children's writer, whose books have been worldwide bestsellers since the 1930s, selling more than 600 million copies. Her books are still enormously popular and have been tra ...

. Inspired by this, she went on to write and illustrate 21 books of her own for the

Medici Society The House of Medici ( , ; ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first consolidated power in the Republic of Florence under Cosimo de' Medici and his grandson Lorenzo "the Magnificent" during the first half of the 15th c ...

of London, with whom she was associated for sixty years. Medici has published over 500 of her paintings as postcards, greeting cards and prints. Molly Brett's work has enchanted generations of children with its beautifully drawn details, subtle colours and magical atmosphere. Her work follows in the tradition of other twentieth-century "dressed animal" illustrators such as

Margaret Tempest Margaret Mary Tempest (1892–1982) was a British illustrator and author, best known for her illustrations of Alison Uttley's Little Grey Rabbit books. Life Margaret Tempest was born at 2 Fonnereau Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, in 1892. She lived most ...

Racey Helps Angus Clifford Racey Helps (1913–1970) was an English children's author and illustrator. His books were written in a simple style and feature woodland creatures and birds, with illustrations by the author. He is known also for illustrating ...

, and others.

Bibliography

Brett's books include: * ''A Little Garden'' (1937) * ''A Surprise for Dumpy'' (1964) * ''An Alphabet'' (1980) * ''Drummer Boy Duckling'' (1945) * ''Flip Flop's Secret'' (1970) * ''Follow Me Around the Farm'' (1947) * ''Goodnight Time Tales'' (1982) * ''Jiggy's Treasure Hunt'' (1973) * ''Master Bunny the Baker's Boy'' (1950) * ''Midget and the Pet Shop'' (1975) * ''Mr Turkey Runs Away'' (1948) * ''My First Big Bumper Book'' (1939) * ''Paddy Gets into Mischief'' (1972) * ''Plush and Tatty on the Beach'' (1987) * ''Robin Finds Christmas'' (1961) * ''Teddy Flies Away'' (1972) * ''The Adventures of Plush and Tatty'' (1985) * ''The Japanese Garden'' (1960) * ''The Forgotten Bear'' (1968) * ''The Hare in a Hurry'' (1975) * ''The Jumble Bears'' (1977) * ''The Magic Spectacles and Other Tales'' (1987) * ''The Molly Brett Picture Book'' (1979) * ''The Party That Grew'' (1976) * ''The Runaway Fairy'' (1982) * ''The Story of a Toy Car'' (1938) * ''The Untidy Little Hedgehog'' (1966) * ''Tom Tit Moves House'' (1962) * ''Two in a Tent'' (1969)

References

''Molly Brett''
accessed February 11, 2011

accessed February 11, 2011. {{DEFAULTSORT:Brett, Molly 1902 births 1990 deaths Artists from Surrey English children's book illustrators English children's writers Enid Blyton illustrators English women children's book illustrators Alumni of the University for the Creative Arts English women children's writers Writers from Surrey 20th-century English women writers 20th-century English writers 20th-century English women artists