Fairies and Elves in Beautiful Postcards Cecile Barker

Cecile Mary Barker, Cicely Mary Barker (1895 - 1973) - English illustrator, author of postcards, books of flowers and Flower Fairies.

This happened almost a hundred years ago. In 1911, unusual postcards appeared in London - they depicted flowers, multicolor and among them are flower fairies. Postcards became very popular, even the English queen with her restraint could not resist this magic, and sent postcards to her friends.

Who was the author of the flower fairies? It turned out that these beautiful postcards were drawn by Cecile Mary Barker, a sixteen-year-old Englishwoman. She lived in the small town of Croydon, near London. Cecile was a weak child from birth, so she had to do home education. She read and drew a lot. It was drawing that Cecile devoted all her free time from school. Her father, Walter Barker, an artist and woodcarver, saw a blossoming talent in his beloved daughter and convinced her to enroll in a correspondence painting course at the Croyden School of Art.

Starting her studies, Cecile soon surprised the teachers with her abilities. Together with the works of her father, she also exhibited her drawings. At the age of 16, Cecile was elected a member of the Art Society. And then Walter Barker decided to show some of Cecile's illustrations to the typographer Raphael Tuck. So her postcards first appeared, which immediately brought her success. Cecile could now help her father support the family by selling her work to magazines and postcard makers.

But not even a year had passed since my father died. The very young Cecile spent whole days at her studies, since it became not only the joy of creativity, but also the only means of subsistence.

She worked tirelessly. Cecile's drawings gained prominence in 1918. Queen Mary herself sent postcards featuring fairies to her friends.

In 1923, her first book, "The Flower Fairies of Spring", was published. The book was not only with beautiful illustrations, but also with poems that Cecile wrote herself. The book was in demand. And soon seven more books were published, which also sold out with lightning speed. And then reputable publishers began to republish Cecile Barker's books several times.

The complete works of Cecile Barker contains four volumes: Fairies of the Seasons, Fairies of Garden Flowers, Fairies of Roadside Flowers, Fairies of Trees, and Flower Alphabet. The book "Fairies of Winter" was published by her friends after the death of Cecile.

The books are so unusual for their unique depictions of flowers and plants that they are often called botanical encyclopedias. Cecile always painted her flowers from nature, and their images were believable and full of life.

When she could not find a plant, employees of the Royal Botanic Gardens delivered it to her. But what about the little fairies? Who was the model for these cute funny creatures? The older sister Cecile opened a private kindergarten in their cozy home. Children happily posed for Cecile's fairy-tale characters. If you look closely at the postcards, you can see that the characters of the little fairies correspond to the colors that are depicted with them. And that is not all. Cecile sewed the costumes of the fairies of dandelions, roses, daisies, poppies herself, making the wings from branches, wire and veils.

Entomologists acknowledge the fact that the fairy wings depicted in the pictures are exactly the same as the designs of the wings of the beloved butterflies in England. In her works, she strove for realism, detailing the plants and images of each fairy. There are no words to express my feelings of admiration for talent, observation, patience, hard work and the kindness that are reflected in Cecile Barker's illustrations.Her encyclopedic accuracy of depicting flowers, plants and little Flower Fairies on postcards makes you believe in a fairy tale.

Throughout her life, Cecile remained a deeply religious person. Already in 1920, she began to write on a religious theme, illustrating biblical stories, and also painted panels and triptychs for chapels and churches.

In the 50s of the last century, the Swiss scientist Max Luscher conducted research on the effect of color on body functions, in which he used the works of Cecile Barker. As a result, he noted that the orange-yellow color in the Buttercup Fairy changes the heart rate, respiration and even blood pressure, providing an exciting effect. And the dark blue Fairy Veronica brings comfort. Cecile Barker's fairytale fairies carry a positive attitude of the human soul.

Beautiful cards with flowers and fabulous Fairies can surprise, soothe, enchant, they have a strong effect, give a feeling of harmony and joy. They fill our life with the fairy tale in which we believe ... or want to believe.