“Seaside Holiday”: An Original Sketchbook by Cicely Mary Barker
BARKER, Cicely Mary. Sketchbook.
Sketchbook 26cm x 18.5cm (landscape). Original cloth boards with “1916-1917. / Worthing. / Bognor / ETC.” written in ink to front board and also to spine, “Cicely M Barker” and “17 The Waldrons / Croydon” in pencil to front paste down, “At Olinda House / 113 Marine Parade / Worthing” and “at / St. Wilfred’s / Wilton Road / Bognor” also written in pencil but have been crossed through, stationer’s label for “The Cambridge “Pencil-Chalk” Sketch Books” affixed to top-left corner of front pastedown, pencil holder (lacking pencil) to top-edge of back board; ff. [30, 2 half leaves torn, with Barker’s illustrations throughout in pencil and coloured pencil]; due to the book’s working nature, there are some ink stains and smudging, and some leaves have been neatly excised; remnants of a tie fastening to front board, extremities a little rubbed, a little fragile, a well preserved example of an artist’s sketchbook; very good.
Barker began using this sketchbook at the age of twenty-one, and despite predating her first “Flower Fairy” book, Flower Fairies of the Spring, by seven years, the drawings already display her distinctive style. She records her address to the front-pastedown as “17 the Waldrons Croydon” where she lived with her family. Although her drawings are very whimsical, she had a difficult life: she suffered from epilepsy, and her father had died when she was only seventeen which left her family in a difficult financial situation. Determined to help, Barker sold her drawings to stationers to use for postcards.
This was one of Barker’s working sketchbooks, and most of the drawings are taken from her everyday experiences. Much like her “Flower Fairy” illustrations, her drawings have an undisturbed, innocent charm to them. However, Britain was at war during the time Barker was working on her sketchbook. There is a slight nod to England’s Allies in the sketchbook where she has drawn Greek and French children “from photo[s]”. During the War years, Barker produced propaganda postcards that pictured children from the Allied countries. These were first produced in 1916 by the stationer J. Salmon. On the whole, however, her drawings tend to interact with the ideals of early 20th century life displaying a pre-industrial, and pre-war yearning.
Some particularly charming drawings focus around a little boy called “Nigel”. He’s smiley and dressed in the quintessential, early 20th century children’s clothes. He was the child of Barker’s cousin, Geoffrey Oswald. The drawings show the “working” aspect to Barker’s sketchbook as a few pages after the initial quick sketches, Barker develops one of them adding colour. A full-page drawing labelled “Bognor 1917” is another skilful and more developed illustration, perhaps we can see Barker playing with an idea for a postcard here. This sketchbook was likely used to develop illustrations for Barker’s “Seaside Holiday” postcard series, produced by J. Salmon. These postcards were produced in 1918 and 1921, and they all show children playing at the beach. Some of the drawings here match later postcards almost precisely.
There are also some smaller images that provide a glimpse into Barker’s life. At the very back of the sketchbook, are several illustrations of a little tabby-cat kitten playing. There is also a drawing of a woman working on her sewing which offers a glimpse into the intimacy between artist and subject. One can imagine the two women sitting together on the beach, and working on their respective projects.
Jane Laing, Cicely Mary Barker and her Art.
SKU: 2123894