Generations of little girls grew up with The Flower Fairies, an enchanting series of illustrated books featuring whimsical, delicate-featured fairies alongside botanically accurate drawings of trees and plants.
The creator of those books is featured in a new exhibition, “Flower Fairies: the Magical World of Cicely Mary Barker”, on show at Watts Gallery in Compton from October 22nd to April 27th next year.
The exhibition is the gallery’s first aimed at children. It offers many opportunities to play and create, explore nearby woodlands on a new Tree Fairy Trail, and step inside recreated scenes from Barker’s books.
The Lavender Fairy © The Estate of Cicely Mary Barker, 1944
Presented with Penguin Random House Children’s UK, the exhibition takes visitors from the artist’s childhood to the creation of her fairy characters.
While children play, adults – mothers and grandmothers especially – will surely enjoy a nostalgic chance to revisit their childhood favourites, including original illustrations of the White Bindweed Fairy, the Lavender Fairy and the Elm Fairy, among others.
The original Flower Fairies series was published by Blackie and Son a hundred years ago during a more innocent age when most children were more closely connected to nature.
Barker’s books could be read and reread for hours. Their effect was profound: inspiring in many young readers – alongside Beatrix Potter’s books, which they resembled in format – a lifelong reverence for nature.