I haven't tackled any of the illustrators from the old Robin and Swift annuals for ages but had an enquiry recently from someone asking for information about Dorothy Heather. Tony tells me has two original baby pictures that were found in an attic in Nottingham in the early 1960s.Unfortunately, I drew a bit of a blank. She was active from at least as early as 1923 when she could be found supplying illustrations to The Pillar-Box magazine. In the 1930s she contributed to annuals such as Great Stories for Girls (London, The Children's Press, 1930s) and in the late 1950s/early 1960s appeared in Enid Blyton's The Eleventh Holiday Book, Robin Annual and Girl Annual.
Around that same period she was also illustrating educational books for youngsters. I've only managed to find a couple of titles:
Learning English by J. M. Miller. London, Longmans, Green & Co., 1958.
Father's New Watch by Isabelle Fremont. London, Oxford University Press, 1960.
As for the baby pictures discovered by Tony, I believe prints were made of some of Dorothy Heather's paintings before the war; I've only managed to find one example (see the top of the column) which I grabbed from eBay.
If anyone can add anything, please get in touch.
I have one photo of a baby title tired out ! signed by Dorothy Heather. If you are intrested please contact : 07786461336
ReplyDeleteHi I have a book called "Schoolgirls' Story Book" from 1933 which has a couple of illustrations by her.
ReplyDeleteIf interested in purchasing it, it will be on ebay within the next couple of weeks and by the end of February.
ive got a photo from womans friend of a tired out baby could you you plz let me no if its the same person who did it
ReplyDeleteHer Grandaughter believes that she also drew for Robin on a weekly basis doing the illustratulions for the Sally and Simon adventures.
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteThis must have been post 1958 period as I believe the early Simon & Sally strips were the work of Mike Noble. All I can say about the later artist is that, c.1961, payments were made to the Kathleen Boland Studio. Perhaps Dorothy Heather worked for them?
This reply may be a bit late but she also illustrated women's magazines. I have examples between 1917 and 1929. She did the cover for the 1929 launch issue of Wife & Home (Amalgamated) and illustrations inside on pp16&17. The issue included 2 inserted, A4ish plates on card: 'Hello daddy' of a happy baby partly hiding behind a pillow; and 'Where's mummy?' of a tantrumming baby. Heather did an April 1930 W&H illustration and the cover style looks like hers, but they’re not signed. She did Woman's Companion covers around then also and I've seen 2 of her plates for that magazine dated 14 Feb 1931 of 2 tots making up over a broken doll.
ReplyDeleteOther examples:
Mother and Home (Amalgamated) 1917/06/09 children’s page on back cover; illustration for Dame Tatler's Tea Table Talk column.
Woman’s Friend (Pearson’s) Grand Christmas number and 1932/12/10 covers, signed; 1933/10/28 illustration.
Tony