One of the 20th century's finest children's illustrators, the work of Margaret Winifred Tarrant (1888-1959) comes to us via the rich and varied archive of The Medici Society, who commissioned and published many of her lovely illustrations as cards, prints, calendars and books.

Born in Battersea, Margaret Tarrant was the daughter of Percy Tarrant, a successful commercial artist. She studied at the Heatherley School of Fine Art and received her first commission at the age of just 19 when she illustrated a new edition of The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley, published in 1908. Her association with the Medici Society began in 1920 and continued almost without pause until ill-health restricted her output in the 1950s. Over a period of 35 years she painted hundreds of delightful illustrations for Medici that would become familiar to generations of children. We are proud to hold over 1500 images by Margaret Tarrant at the library ranging from full colour watercolours to exquisite pen & ink line drawings.

A friend of both Cicely Mary Barker and Molly Brett who both worked in a similar oeuvre, Margaret Tarrant's enchanting fairies, dancing children and anthropomorphic woodland animals have an undeniable nostalgic charm and timeless appeal. As one of the original Edwardian artists working in the genre, Margaret Tarrant helped form the very definition of the fairy to generations of children and adults but she also painted other subjects including landscapes, florals, Biblical scenes and nursery rhyme and fairytale illustrations. And despite the whimsical subject matter, her work shows a strong design aesthetic and intuitive use of space, making it perfect for a number of applications such as stationery, packaging, toys or cover art.

Our own archive elves have put together a selection of Margaret Tarrant illustrations for your delight. As always, do get in touch if you're interested in this or any other collection in our archive. And if you'd like a search or have a query, call us on 020 8318 0034 or email pictures@maryevans.com.