The Flower Fairies
Since their first publication in 1923, the ‘Flower Fairies’ have never been out of print. In the 170 original illustrations, the pictures of the plants are botanically accurate drawings and these are coupled with the enchanting fairy images, based on real children. 2023 marks 100 years since the publication of Cecily Mary Barker’s first book of poems and pictures, ‘Flower Fairies of the Spring’, an occasion which is being celebrated in an exhibition at the Lady Lever Gallery in Merseyside.
These poems were a big part of my childhood. I can’t remember where my first copy came from, but these tiny creatures appealed to my love of all things miniature and my conviction that ‘little people’ whether like Pod, Homily and Arrietty; Vanessa, Jane, Amanda, little Lupin, and Jacqueline or Miss Happiness and Miss Flower must exist and I spent hours making up stories- some in tiny books- about the lives of these fairies, particularly the Lilac Fairy. Quite why she was such a favourite, I have no idea, but her poem was one of the many which I knew by heart (and still do!) and is the reason I can identify lilac!
Travelling from Somerset to the Wirral for an exhibition might seem a little odd to some, but as soon as I discovered that a selection of Barker’s delicate watercolours were going to be on display, I knew I had to go! Although whimsical, these pictures are firmly rooted in reality as all the plants are botanically accurate and the children modelled on those who attended her sister’s nursery school. The exhibition was an absolute delight, offering plenty of space to linger over each picture and fully appreciate it as well as offering plenty of background information, including influences like the story of the Cottingley Fairies.
Cicely Mary Barker was born on the 28th June, 1895 in Croydon. As she suffered from epilepsy as a child, Cicely was unable to go to school, so she was educated at home and spent much of her time reading and drawing. By sixteen, she had become a life member of the Croydon Art Society, the youngest-ever person to receive this honour.
Each illustration is beautiful, full of attention to detail and celebrating the joys of nature. There are eight original Flower Fairies books- Flower Fairies of the Spring (1923), Flower Fairies of the Summer (1925), Flower Fairies of the Autumn (1926), A Flower Fairy Alphabet (1934), Flower Fairies of the Trees (1940), Flower Fairies of the Garden (1944), Flower Fairies of the Wayside (1948) and Flower Fairies of the Winter (1985).
White May is flowering,
Red May beside;
Laburnum is showering
Gold far and wide;
But I sing of Lilac,
The dearly-loved Lilac,
Lilac, in Maytime
A joy and a pride!
I love her so much
That I never can tell
If she’s sweeter to look at,
Or sweeter to smell.
The exhibition is open until the 5th November- and well worth a visit!