Inga Stephens Pratt Clark American artist and book illustrator Date of Birth: 08.12.1906 Country: USA

1. American artist and book illustrator
2. Collaboration with Fletcher Pratt
3. Commercial artist and fashion illustrator
4. Personal life and later years

American artist and book illustrator

Inga Stevens Pratt Clark was an American artist and book illustrator who, along with her husband Fletcher Pratt, was one of the central figures in the literary society of New York in the 20th century. She was born on December 8, 1906, in Brookings, South Dakota. Inga studied at the Academy Colorossi in Paris and the Arts Students League of New York.

Collaboration with Fletcher Pratt

On July 1, 1926, Inga married Fletcher Pratt, a prolific American writer. She illustrated several of his books, including "Tales from Gavagan's Bar," "Empire and the Sea," "Empire and the Glory," and "A Man and his Meals." Inga and Fletcher also co-wrote at least two science fiction stories under the pen name I.M. Stephens, with Inga serving as his "literary executioner."

Commercial artist and fashion illustrator

Under the names Inga Stevens, and later Inga Pratt, she worked as a freelance commercial artist specializing in fashion. She collaborated with Tedi Berri on the book "Fashion Drawing." Kay Hardy wrote of artists like Inga Pratt, stating that their style is as easily recognizable as one's handwriting, and imitating them is as futile as forging signatures on checks.

Personal life and later years

Fletcher Pratt described Inga as a Norwegian from South Dakota who grew up in Montana, where she learned to ride horses before she turned seven and had several pets, including four eagles, a coyote, a snake, and fourteen cats. He mentioned that she had light breakfasts and her fashion illustrations appeared almost daily in New York newspapers and various magazines. Inga considered bridge-playing a waste of time but illustrated several books. She played the flute, knew how to drive a car, and often spent weekends outside the city.

In the early 1950s, the Pratts hosted meetings of the "Hydra club" in their Manhattan apartment, attended by many New York science fiction writers. Later, the Pratts purchased a dilapidated house in Highlands, New Jersey, with over thirteen rooms, where they once again gathered their literary friends. After Fletcher Pratt's death, Inga married chemist and writer John D. Clark. Clark dedicated his book "Ignition!" to her, writing, "This book is dedicated to my wife Inga, who helped me write it with her female observations like, 'You're writing a damn interesting story. Now, march over to the typewriter and work on this thing!'"