This marks the end of the first set of flower fairy books and it was not until 1985, twelve years after Cicely Mary Barker's death that the final season Flower Fairies of the Winter was published. In 1927 the three seasonal flower fairy books were published in a single volume entitled The Book of the Flower Fairies . Somehow the fairy looking after the baby blossom idealizes the perfect fairy who is always there to look after every child. With a little study the image reveals itself, becoming more enjoyable the more one looks at it. The blossom baby in the picture looks to be, at first glance, a part of the plant. One of my favourite illustrations is 'Apple Blossom' from the Flower Fairy Alphabet . In Flower Fairies of the Summer, 1925, and Flower Fairies of the Autumn, 1926, her fairies had begun to play a more active role in the paintings, with additional human traits being invested in them, really making them part of the plant. Interestingly, all the fairies in Cicely's first book were based on children she knew.Ĭicely's artwork is characterised by the grace and delicacy of her line and colour work in the portrayal of both child fairies and flowers, with the outline pen work so fine and the pose so natural. At the time fairies were the height of fashion with the publication the previous year of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's book, The Coming of Fairies , which gave an enormous boost to a belief in their existence. The first flower fairies book to be published was Flower Fairies of the Spring which appeared in 1923, published by Blackie who was to publish all of the flower fairies books. She was only sixteen when she had her first work, A Set of Postcards , accepted for publication and from that time she devoted her career to painting.

Because of ill health she was educated at home and, encouraged by a supportive family and assisted by membership of the Croydon Art Society, largely taught herself to draw and paint.

Her images, being so lifelike yet so comforting, can't fail to touch your heart.Ĭicely was born in 1895 in Croydon, London, and spent most of her life there. Anybody who loves fairies will have no doubt heard of and enjoyed the series of flower fairies books written and illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker.

Flower fairies of spring