Figure 1.--
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Figure 1.-- |
The original illustrator of the Enid Blyton's Famous Five series was Eileen Soper. Her drawings added considerable charm to the first dozen books in the series. The children are genertally pictured in 1950s clothing styles. At this time I know little about her other work.
Eileen Soper is quite an interesting person. She was the daughter of George Soper, a well-known artist whose speciality was horses. With his encouragement she exhibited at age 15. Her specialities were wild animals (esp. badgers) and children. Apparently
when she saw children playing she used to stop and ask if she could draw them, and they used to pose for her. Imagine the verbal abuse and volleys of stones an artist would get today if she attempted to draw children at play today.
George Soper was obsessive about germs, and, as they grew older Eileen and her sister became obsessed with the idea that the Dread Disease (i.e. cancer) could be caught from coughs and sneezes. They became recluses. Servants and gardners who retired or died were not replaced in case the newcomers imported the Dread Disease, and their 4-acre
garden became a wild, overgrown nature reserve. Provisions were ordered by telephone and delivered to the garden gate so that they did not have to meet shop-keepers. Both sisters lived to be over 90 and died within a few months of each other.
Enid Blyton is probably the most successful children's author of all time--although not the most famous. She published an amazing number of children's or juvenile books, 600 by one account. She certainly was the most prolific author of all time, and with over 700 books and 10,000 short stories to her name, she is likely to remain so for years to come. Her importance is that she wrote books that children loved to read and attracted them to books--much like J.D. Rowlings. Blyton's most famous series was The Famous Five. Blyton's works painted an idyllic vision of rural England and hearty Englishness and in recent years she has been criticized for this. It is interesting that Rowlings who also attracts children
to books has been criticized for just the oppisite--a dangerous forbiding world of wizzadry.
Another famous English literary character was really a group of five--four children and a dog. The central characters are Julian, Dick, Anne, George, and the dog Timmy. This was a children's series created by famed children's writer Enis Blyton, one of Britain’s best-loved children’s authors. It was one of the most popular series of children's books in
England and America. The series began in 1942 and were translated into many languages. The boys were commonly costumed in period clothes, jumpers, short trousers, and sandals. The original illustrator of the Enid Blyton's Famous Five series was Eileen Soper. Through the first dozen books the children age in the illustrations in line with the passage of time through the stories: Julian
from 12 to 18, Dick and George from 11 to 17, and Anne from 10 to 16. In the later stories they appear to be fixed at: J 15/16, D & G 14/15 and A 13/14. Later
illustrations to modernise the appearance of the five now look hopelessly dated, with 1970s style flared trousers and androgymous kids. Also the artists are nowhere
near as skilled as Miss Soper. Recent paperbacks have restored her illustrations but in a colored form.
At this time we have little information on her other work.
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