Reginald Bathurst Birch (May 2, 1856 – June 17, 1943) was an English-American artist and illustrator. He was best known for his depiction of the titular hero of

Frances Hodgson Burnett Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett (24 November 1849 – 29 October 1924) was a British-American novelist and playwright. She is best known for the three children's novels ''Little Lord Fauntleroy'' (1886), ''A Little Princess'' (1905), a ...

's 1886 novel ''

Little Lord Fauntleroy ''Little Lord Fauntleroy'' is a children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was published as a serial in ''St. Nicholas Magazine'' from November 1885 to October 1886, then as a book by Charles Scribner's Sons, Scribner's (the publisher of ...

'', which started a craze in juvenile fashion. While his illustrated corpus has eclipsed his other work, he was also an accomplished painter of portraits and landscapes.

Life and family

Birch was born May 2, 1856, in London, England, the son of British army officer William Alexander Birch and Isabella (Hoggins) Birch. During his childhood he lived for a time with his paternal grandfather on the Isle of

Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...

while his father was in India. He moved to

San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, with his parents in 1870. Afterward he was naturalized as a citizen of the United States. Birch married twice and had two children, a son and a daughter. The son, Rodney Bathurst Birch, was an early film actor. Birch died at the age of eighty-seven of congestive heart failure at the Home for Incurables in the

Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

, New York. His body was interred at

Woodlawn Cemetery Woodlawn Cemetery is the name of several cemeteries, including: Canada * Woodlawn Cemetery (Saskatoon) * Woodlawn Cemetery (Nova Scotia) United States ''(by state then city or town)'' * Woodlawn Cemetery (Ocala, Florida), where Isaac Rice and fa ...

in New York. Birch's artistic talent first emerged in San Francisco, where he helped his father prepare wood-block theatrical posters. He soon attracted a patron in painter

Toby Edward Rosenthal Tobias Edward Rosenthal, known as Toby (15 March 1848 in Strasburg, Germany, Strasburg, Prussia23 December 1917 in Munich) was a German-American Genre art, genre and portrait painter. He generally claimed to have been born in New Haven, Connecticu ...

, who allowed him to use his studio and helped further his artistic education. From 1873 to 1881 Birch studied and worked in Europe, attending the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

and illustrating various publications in Vienna, Paris, and Rome.

Career

On his return to the United States, Birch took up residence in New York City, where he became a magazine illustrator. His work appeared in '' St. Nicholas'', the ''Century'', ''Harper's'', ''Life'', and ''

The Youth's Companion ''The Youth's Companion'' (1827–1929), known in later years as simply ''The Companion—For All the Family'', was an American children's magazine that existed for over one hundred years until it finally merged with '' The American Boy'' in 19 ...

'', among other publications. He also became a founding member of the Society of Illustrators in New York. His first great success was his illustration of

's children's book ''

'' (1886), whose young protagonist's long, curly hair and velvet and lace suit were widely imitated by mothers as a pattern of dress for their little boys. Birch's name was indelibly associated with Burnett's protagonist forever after, rather to the illustrator's irritation. During the period of his initial popularity he illustrated over forty books, many of which, along with his drawings, had initially seen publication in serial form. These included more of Burnett's children's books, notably ''

Sara Crewe ''A Little Princess'' is a children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, first published as a book in 1905. It is an expanded version of the short story "Sara Crewe: or, What Happened at Miss Minchin's", which was serialized in ''St. Nicholas M ...

'' (1888). Demand for Birch's work faded after 1914, and by the 1930s he was living in poverty. His career was revived in 1933 by his illustrations for

Louis Untermeyer Louis Untermeyer (October 1, 1885 – December 18, 1977) was an American poet, anthologist, critic, and editor. He was appointed the fourteenth Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1961. Life and career Untermeyer was born in New Yo ...

's '' The Last Pirate'', and he went on to illustrate about twenty additional books before being retired by failing eyesight about 1941. ''Reginald Birch—His Book'', a retrospective collection of works he illustrated by various authors, was published in 1939 by Harcourt, Brace and Company.

Bibliography of books illustrated

*''The story of Roland'' / by

James Baldwin James Arthur Baldwin (né Jones; August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987) was an American writer and civil rights activist who garnered acclaim for his essays, novels, plays, and poems. His 1953 novel '' Go Tell It on the Mountain'' has been ranked ...

(1883) *''Historic boys : their endeavors, their achievements and their times'' / by

Elbridge Streeter Brooks Elbridge Streeter Brooks (April 14, 1846 – January 7, 1902) was an American author, editor, and critic. He is chiefly remembered as an author of numerous works of fiction and nonfiction for children, much of it on historical or patriotic subje ...

(1886) *''

'' / by

(1886) *''Chivalric days : stories of courtesy and courage in olden times'' / by

(1888) *'' Sara Crewe; or, What happened at Miss Minchin's'' / by

(1888) *''Another flock of girls'' / by Nora Perry (1890) *''In my nursery'' / by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards (1890) *''Little Saint Elizabeth, and other stories'' / by

(1890) *''Lady Jane'' / by Cecilia Viets Jamison (1891) *''Marjorie and her papa : how they wrote a story and made pictures for it'' / by Robert Howe Fletcher (1891) *'' The Admiral's Caravan'' / by Charles E. Carryl (1892) *''Giovanni and the other; children who have made stories'' / by

(1892) *''My odd little folk : rhymes and verses about them : with some others'' / by Malcolm Douglas (1893) *''The one I knew the best of all'' / by

(1893) *'' Imaginotions; Truthless Tales'' / by Tudor Jenks (1894) *''Piccino, and other child stories'' / by

(1894) *''Child-sketches from George Eliot : glimpses at the boys and girls in the romances of the great novelist'' / by Julia Magruder (1895) *'' Master Skylark'' / by John Bennett (1896) *''Field Flowers : a small bunch of the most fragrant of blossoms gathered from the broad acres of Eugene Field's farm of love" / by

Eugene Field Eugene Field Sr. (September 2, 1850 – November 4, 1895) was an American writer, best known for his children's poetry and humorous essays. He was known as the "poet of childhood". Early life and education Field was born in St. Louis, Missouri ...

(1896) *''Two little pilgrims' progress; a story of the city beautiful'' / by

(1897) *''Down Durley lane and other ballads'' / by Virginia Woodward Cloud (1898) *''The sole survivors'' / by G A Henty (1899) *''The vizier of the two-horned Alexander'' / by Frank Richard Stockton (1899) *''The "Little Women" play; a two-act, forty-five-minute play, adapted from Louisa May Alcott's famous story'' / by Elizabeth Lincoln Gould (1900) *'' Little men : life at Plumfield with Jo's boys : a sequel to "Little Women"'' / by Louisa M. Alcott (1901) *''The Wouldbegoods'' / by

E Nesbit Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland; 15 August 1858 – 4 May 1924) was an English writer and poet, who published her books for children and others as E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on more than 60 such books. She was also a political ...

(1901) *''The circle'' / by Katherine Cecil Thurston (1903) *''Red Head'' / by

John Uri Lloyd John Uri Lloyd (April 19, 1849 in West Bloomfield, New YorkLLOYD, John Uri
in ...

(1903) *''A little rough rider'' / by Tudor Jenks (1904) *''Outdoorland : stories for children'' / by Robert W. Chambers (1902) *''Orchard-Land'' / by Robert W. Chambers (1903) *''Tales from Dickens'' / by

Hallie Erminie Rives Hallie Erminie Rives (May 2, 1874 – August 16, 1956) was a best-selling popular novelist and wife of the American diplomat Post Wheeler. Biography She was born on May 2, 1874, in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, the daughter of Stephen Turner Rives a ...

(1905) *''The breaking in of a yachtsman's wife'' / by

Mary Heaton Vorse Mary Heaton Vorse (October 11, 1874 – June 14, 1966) was an American journalist and novelist with commitments to the labor and feminist movements. She established her reputation as a journalist reporting the labor protests of a largely female ...

(1908) *''Farming it'' / by Henry A. Shute (1909) *''Betty's happy year'' / by

Carolyn Wells Carolyn Wells (June 18, 1862 — March 26, 1942) was an American mystery author and poet. Life and career Born in Rahway, New Jersey, she was the daughter of William Edmund and Anna Potter Wells (née Woodruff). After finishing school, she wo ...

(1910) *''The Christmas angel'' / by

Abbie Farwell Brown Abbie Farwell Brown (August 21, 1871March 5, 1927) was an American writer. Early life and education Brown was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the first of two daughters of Benjamin F. Brown, a descendant of Isaac Allerton, and Clara Neal Brown ...

(1910) *''The siege of the seven suitors'' / by

Meredith Nicholson Meredith Nicholson (December 9, 1866 – December 21, 1947) was a best-selling author from Indiana, United States, a politician, and a diplomat. Biography Nicholson was born on December 9, 1866, in Crawfordsville, Indiana, to Edward Willis Nic ...

(1910) *''Miss Santa Claus of the Pullman'' / by Annie Fellows Johnson (1913) *''Pippin'' / by Evelyn Van Buren (1913) *''The turning of Griggsby; being a story of keeping up with Dan'l Webster'' / by

Irving Bacheller Addison Irving Bacheller (September 26, 1859 – February 24, 1950) was an American journalist and writer. He founded the first modern newspaper syndicate in the United States. Birth and education Born in Pierrepont, New York, Irving Bacheller ...

(1913) *''Diane of the Green Van'' / by

Leona Dalrymple Leona Dalrymple (1884 – 1968) was an early 20th century American writer of novels, short stories, and plays. Biography Leona Dalrymple was on February 11, 1884, in Passaic, New Jersey as the oldest child of New Jersey Assemblyman and for ...

(1914) *''Bonnie May'' / by Louis Dodge (1916) *'' Master Skylark : or, Will Shakespeare's ward; a dramatization from the story of the same name by John Bennett in five acts'' / by Edgar White Burrill (1916) *''Waitful watching, or, Uncle Sam and the fight in Dame Europa's school'' / by James L. Ford (1916) *''The youth Plupy, or, The lad with a downy chin'' / by Henry A. Shute (1917) *'' The Old Tobacco Shop: A True Account of What Befell a Little Boy in Search of Adventure'' / by William Bowen (1922) *''Will Shakespeare's little lad'' / by Imogen Clark (1925) *''The last pirate; tales from the Gilbert and Sullivan operas'' / by

(1934) *''Soldier Rigdale : how he sailed in the "May-flower" and how he served Miles Standish'' / by

Beulah Marie Dix Beulah Marie Dix (December 25, 1876 – September 25, 1970) was an American screenwriter of the silent film, silent and sound film, sound film eras, as well as a playwright and author of novels and children's books. She wrote for more than 5 ...

(1934) *''Rainbow in the sky'' / collected and edited by

(1935) *''The bad parents' garden of verse'' / by

Ogden Nash Frederic Ogden Nash (August 19, 1902 – May 19, 1971) was an American poet well known for his Light poetry, light verse, of which he wrote more than 500 pieces. With his unconventional rhyme, rhyming schemes, he was declared by ''The New York T ...

(1936) *''The reformed pirate; stories from The floating prince, Ting-a-ling tales & The queen's museum'' / by Frank R. Stockton (1936) *''Harry in England : being the true adventures of H.R. in the year 1857'' / by Laura E. Richards (1937) *''Moonshine in Candle Street'' / by

Constance Savery Constance Winifred Savery (31 October 1897 – 2 March 1999) was a British writer of fifty novels and children's books, as well as many short stories and articles. She was selected for the initial issue of the long-running series entitled ...

(1937) *''

The Night Before Christmas "A Visit from St. Nicholas", routinely referred to as "The Night Before Christmas" and "Twas the Night Before Christmas" from its first line, is a poem first published anonymously under the title "Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas" in 1823. A ...

'' / by

Clement Clarke Moore Clement Clarke Moore (July 15, 1779 – July 10, 1863) was an American writer, scholar and real estate developer. He is best known as author of the Christmas poem " A Visit from St. Nicholas", which first named each of Santa Claus's reindeer. M ...

(1937) *''I have a song to sing you, still more rhymes'' / by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards (1938) *''

A Little Princess ''A Little Princess'' is a children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, first published as a book in 1905. It is an expanded version of the short story "Sara Crewe: or, What Happened at Miss Minchin's", which was serialized in '' St. Nicholas ...

'' / by

(1938, new edition with new b/w illustrations and colour frontispiece, published by Scribner's) *''The Miniature's Secret'' / by Hildegarde Hawthorne (1938) *''Five Christmas Novels'' / by

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

(1939) *''The mystery of the silver chain'' / by

Gladys Blake Gladys Blake (born Gladys Timmons; May 12, 1910 – May 21, 1983) was an American character actress from the 1930s to the 1950s. Biography Blake was born on January 12, 1910, in Luray, Virginia. Her mother, Ada Timmons, died when Gladys was ...

(1939) *''Reginald Birch—his book; a selection of stories and poems with reproductions of the original illustrations made from 1886 to 1938 by Reginald Birch'' / edited by Elisabeth B. Hamilton (1939) *''Terrence O'Hara'' / by Thomas Burns (1939)

References

;General *''Biography Index: a cumulative index to biographical material in books and magazines''. Vol. 2: August, 1949-August, 1952. Vol. 3: September, 1952-August, 1955. Vol. 5: September, 1958-August, 1961. Vol. 12: September, 1979-August, 1982. New York: H.W. Wilson Co., 1953, 1956, 1962, 1983. *Carpenter, Humphrey, and Prichard, Mari. ''The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature''. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1984. *''Current Biography Yearbook''. 1943 ed. New York: H.W. Wilson Co., 1943. *Dawdy, Doris Ostrander. ''Artists of the American West: a biographical dictionary''. Vol. I. Chicago: Sage Books/Swallow Press, 1974. *''Dictionary of American Biography''. Suppl. 3. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1973. *Falk, Peter Hastings, ed. ''Who Was Who in American Art: compiled from the original thirty-four volumes of American Art Annual: Who's Who in Art, Biographies of American Artists Active from 1898-1947''. Madison, CT: Sound View Press, 1985. *Falk, Peter Hastings, ed. ''Who Was Who in American Art. 400 years of artists in America''. 2nd ed. Madison, CT: Sound View Press, 1999 *Kunitz, Stanley J., and Haycraft, Howard., eds. ''The Junior Book of Authors''. 2nd ed., rev. New York: H.W. Wilson Co., 1951. *Mahoney, Bertha E., and Whitney, Elinor. ''Contemporary Illustrators of Children's Books''. Boston: Bookshop for Boys and Girls, 1930. *''The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography''. Vol. 11. New York: James T. White & Co., 1901. *Reed, Walt. ''The Illustrator in America, 1900-1960's''. New York: Reinhold Publishing Corp., 1966. *Reed, Walt, and Reed, Roger. ''The Illustrator in America, 1880-1980: a century of illustration''. New York: Madison Square Press, 1984. *Shaw, John Mackay. ''Childhood in Poetry: a catalogue, with biographical and critical annotations, of the books of English and American poets comprising the Shaw Childhood in Poetry Collection in the Library of the Florida State University''. 1st ed. 1st suppl. 2nd suppl. Detroit: Gale Research, 1967, 1972, 1976. *''Something about the Author: facts and pictures about authors and illustrators of books for young people''. Vol. 19. Detroit: Gale Research, 1980. *''Who Was Who in America: a companion biographical reference work to Who's Who in America''. Vol. 2, 1943-1950. Chicago: A.N. Marquis Co., 1963. ;Specific

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Birch, Reginald Bathurst 1856 births 1943 deaths English emigrants to the United States English illustrators American children's book illustrators British children's book illustrators