Mary Shepard

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Mary Shepard
Born(1909-12-25)25 December 1909
Died4 September 2000(2000-09-04) (aged 90)
NationalityBritish
Notable workMary Poppins
SpouseE. V. Knox
ChildrenPenelope Fitzgerald (step-daughter)
Parent
Relatives

Mary Eleanor Jessie Knox née Shepard (25 December 1909 – 4 September 2000)[1] was an English illustrator of children's books. She is best known for the Mary Poppins stories written by P. L. Travers (1934 to 1988).[2] She used her married name Mary Knox outside the publishing industry.[1]

Life and career[edit]

She was the daughter of E. H. Shepard, a famous illustrator of children's literature including Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne in the 1920s and a 1931 edition of The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. She was the illustrator for the U.S. publisher Lippincot's 1937 edition of Pigeon Post by Arthur Ransome.[3]

Shepard graduated from the Slade School of Art. She was 23 when her father was too busy to illustrate Mary Poppins and Travers discovered her work on a Christmas card.[1]

She married E. V. Knox, 28 years her senior, in 1937. He was editor of Punch and father of the writer Penelope Fitzgerald.[1][2][4]

Death[edit]

Shepard died on 4 September 2000, at the age of 90.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "Mary Shepard Dies at 90; 'Mary Poppins' Illustrator". The New York Times. 2 October 2000. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  2. ^ a b "Mary Shepard: Putting Mary Poppins in the picture". The Times. London. 20 October 2000. p. 25.
  3. ^ "Shepard, Mary E." www.worldcat.org. WorldCat.
  4. ^ "Mary Shepard; Illustrated Mary Poppins Books". Los Angeles Times. 3 October 2000. Retrieved 26 October 2009.

External links[edit]