Cicely Mary Barker

Cicely Mary Barker
Barker in her teens
Born	Cicely Mary Barker 28 June 1895 Croydon, Surrey, England
Died	16 February 1973(1973-02-16) (aged 77) Worthing Hospital, Worthing, England
Resting place	Ashes spread in the churchyard at Storrington, Sussex, England
Residence	Various but mainly The Waldrons, West Croydon, Surrey, England (1924–1961) St. Andrew's (maisonette), Storrington, Sussex, England (1961–1973)
Education	Correspondence art courses Croydon School of Art
Occupation	Author, illustrator, artist
Years active	1911–1962
Employer	Various publishers but chiefly Blackie and Son Limited Commissions from various British dioceses
Known for	Illustrations of fairies and flowers Triptychs and other works for the Anglican church
Notable work	The Flower Fairies of the Spring (1923) and other Flower Fairy books The Feeding of the Five Thousand The Parable of the Great Supper Out of Great Tribulation and other Christian-themed works in various British churches and chapels
Parent(s)	Walter Barker and Mary Eleanor (Oswald) Barker
Relatives	Dorothy Oswald Barker (sister)
Signature

Cicely Mary Barker (28 June 1895 – 16 February 1973) was an English illustrator best known for a series of fantasy illustrations depicting fairies and flowers. Barker's art education began in girlhood with correspondence courses and instruction at the Croydon School of Art. Her earliest professional work included greeting cards and juvenile magazine illustrations, and her first book, Flower Fairies of the Spring, was published in 1923. Similar books were published in the following decades.

Barker was a devout Anglican, and donated her artworks to Christian fundraisers and missionary organizations. She produced a few Christian-themed books such as The Children’s Book of Hymns and, in collaboration with her sister Dorothy, He Leadeth Me. She designed a stained glass window for St. Edmund's Church, Pitlake, and her painting of the Christ Child, The Darling of the World Has Come, was purchased by Queen Mary.

Barker was equally proficient in watercolour, pen and ink, oils, and pastels. Kate Greenaway and the Pre-Raphaelites were the principal influences on her work. She claimed to paint instinctively and rejected artistic theories. Barker died in 1973. Though she published Flower Fairy books with spring, summer, and autumn themes, it wasn't until 1985 that a winter collection was assembled from her remaining work and published posthumously.

Barker was born the second daughter and youngest child of Walter Barker, a partner in a seed supply company and an amateur artist, and his wife Mary Eleanor (Oswald) Barker on 28 June 1895 at home at 66 Waddon Road in Croydon, Surrey, England. Barker was an epileptic as a child, and cared for at home by her parents. Later, her sister and elder by two years, Dorothy Oswald Barker, continued the care.

The family of four was moderately well off, and belonged to the lower end of the upper middle class. A nanny, a governess, and a cook to prepare special meals for Barker were hired. She spent much time in bed at home amusing herself with painting books and a nursery library that included the works of Kate Greenaway and Randolph Caldecott – two artists who exerted strong influences on her later art.