Peggy Fortnum

Peggy Fortnum
Born	Margaret Emily Noel Fortnum (1919-12-23)23 December 1919 Harrow, Middlesex, England
Died	28 March 2016(2016-03-28) (aged 96)
Alma mater	Tunbridge Wells School of Art Central School of Arts and Crafts
Occupation	Illustrator
Known for	Illustrating Paddington Bear
Spouse	Ralph Nuttall-Smith ​ ​ (m. 1958; died 1988)​
Relatives	Kevin Brownlow (nephew)
Military career
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	British Army
Unit	Auxiliary Territorial Service
Battles / wars	World War II

Margaret Emily Noel Fortnum (23 December 1919 – 28 March 2016)^[1] was an English illustrator, best known for illustrating the children's literature series Paddington Bear.

Biography

Fortnum was born in England on 23 December 1919 at Harrow, Middlesex. She briefly attended Tunbridge Wells School of Art in 1939, before enlisting in the Auxiliary Territorial Service during World War II.^[2] While in the military she sustained serious injuries when she was run over by a truck, requiring a prolonged period of recovery.^[1]

After her recovery from injury she attended the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London.^[2] She worked as an art teacher, painter, and textile designer before becoming a full-time book illustrator. As of 2015 she had illustrated nearly eighty books.^[3] Fortnum's first commission was for Dorcas the Wooden Doll by Mary Fielding Moore, published in 1944.^[4]

Fortnum's best-known works are her illustrations of Michael Bond's character Paddington Bear.^[5] In 1958 she illustrated Paddington's debut the first edition of A Bear Called Paddington^[6] and her original illustrations were used by HarperCollins in its 1998 reissue of A Bear Called Paddington, which celebrated the character's 40th anniversary.^[7]

Although her pen-and-ink drawings of Paddington were done in black and white, some of them have been coloured by other artists, including her step-granddaughter Caroline Nuttall-Smith.^[6] One of her Paddington illustrations was used by the Royal Mail in 2006 for one in a series of first class stamps that celebrated animals from children's literature.^[7]

Personal life

Fortnum married artist and sculptor Ralph Nuttall-Smith in 1958. He died in 1988.^[4] Fortnum resided in Essex, England, and died in March 2016 at the age of 96. She suffered from dementia.^[2] She was survived by her two nephews, the film historian Kevin Brownlow, and the sculptor John Fortnum.^[4]

References

1. Langer, Emily (6 April 2016). "Peggy Fortnum, artist who brought Paddington Bear to life, dies at 96". The Washington Post. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
2. Roberts, Sam (8 April 2016). "Peggy Fortnum, Illustrator of Paddington, Dies at 96". New York Times. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
3. [1], 32windsorgardens, 08 March 2020
4. "Peggy Fortnum, Obituary". The Guardian. 4 April 2016.
5. Silvey, Anita, ed., The Essential Guide to Children's Books and Their Creators, Houghton Mifflin, 2002, p. 51. ISBN 0-618-19082-1
6. Peggy Fortnum, Paddington.com, retrieved 13 October 2015
7. "Peggy Fortnum, illustrator - obituary". The Telegraph. 6 April 2016. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 9 March 2018.

External links

• Peggy Fortnum at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• Peggy Fortnum at Library of Congress, with 39 library catalogue records