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Mabel AttwellBritish illustrator
Country:
 Great Britain |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Rise to Prominence
- Literary Illustrations
- Signature Style and Popularization
- Association with J.M. Barrie
- Collaboration with Shelley Potteries
- Later Years and Legacy
Early Life and Education
Mabel Lucie Attwell was born in Mile End, London, on June 4, 1879, as the sixth child of Augustus, a butcher, and Emily Ann. She received a private education, attending the Coopers' Company School and the Regent Street School. She briefly studied at the Heatherley School of Fine Art and the Saint Martin's School of Art but left due to her preference for drawing imaginative subjects rather than the prescribed still lifes.
Rise to Prominence
When Attwell's work caught the attention of the magazines "Tatler" and "Bystander," she gained professional representation, launching her long and successful career as an illustrator. In 1908, she married Harold Cecil Earnshaw, an artist and illustrator, and they had a daughter and two sons.
Literary Illustrations
Throughout her career, Attwell's illustrations adorned magazines, but she also received commissions from book publishers such as W & R Chambers and Raphael House Library of Gift Books. Her illustrations graced classic works like "Mother Goose," "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," "Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales," "The Water Babies," and J.M. Barrie's "Peter Pan."
Signature Style and Popularization
Early in her career, Attwell's style imitated artists like Hilda Cowham, Jessie Willcox Smith, and John Hassall. By 1914, however, she had developed her unique style, featuring endearing, plump children that became ubiquitous on cards, prints, calendars, ceramics, and more.
Association with J.M. Barrie
In 1921, J.M. Barrie personally requested Attwell to illustrate his gift edition of "Peter Pan." Her collection of illustrations, "Lucie Attwell Annual," was published from 1922 to 1974, a decade after her passing.
Collaboration with Shelley Potteries
In 1926, Shelley Potteries commissioned Attwell to design children's china, inspired by the success of Hilda Cowham's previous porcelain collection. Attwell's first six designs featured children, animals, and tiny, green-clad elves. The elf series, called "Boo Boos," adorned cups, mugs, plates, and more. Attwell also designed a tea set, with a teapot shaped like a mushroom house, a sugar bowl like a mushroom cap, and a milk jug in the form of a green elf, its hand raised in salute. The "Pottery Gazette" praised Attwell's whimsical children's ware, which proved to be a popular and enduring product. The series was expanded with children's figures in 1937, each figure given a name.
Later Years and Legacy
Mabel Attwell died at her home in Fowey, Cornwall, on November 5, 1964. Her business was passed down to her daughter, Marjorie. Attwell's charming and sentimental illustrations continue to evoke nostalgia and bring joy to generations of admirers.
