Figure 1.--This color drawing closly followed one of Reginald Birch's original classic drawings. Click on the image to compare.

Famed illustrator Reginald Birch was the original and best known illustrator of . He was an established illustrator even before he illustrated Mrs. Burnett's classic. He also illustrated her Secret Garden. Born in 1856, he was still illustrating books in the 1930s. He must have witnessed tremendous changes in his long life span. He died in 1943.

Childhood

Famed Anglo-American illustrator Reginal Birch was born in London during 1856. His family moved to America at 6 years of age and he grew up in San Francusco. He returned to Europe for studies in Germany (Munich) and Italy. I have few details, however, on his childhood or how he was dressed as a boy.

Career

Reginald Birch’s distinctive drawings first appeared in St. Nicholas during the 80s, and he was one of their most prolific artists throughout this decade and the one that followed. Birch, by the way, influenced more than art: his illustrations for Frances Hodgson Burnett’s Little Lord Fauntleroy earned him the undying hatred of several generations of small boys -- their fond mamas, emulating Birch’s depiction of the "manly" young hero of the story, dressed their sons in velvet suits with large lace collars, and coaxed their hair into lovely long ringlets.

Figure 2.--This is one of the drawings from the original 1886 edotion of "Little Lord Fauntleroy"T

Birch was a noted illustrator of the day, regularly illustrating stories in America's legendary St. Nichlos Magazine. On l'appela le "Gibson des enfants" pour ses innombrables dessins à la plume parus dans le Saint-Nicolhas américain. Presumably Birch met Mrs. Burnett through their work at St. Nicholas. He was personaly chosen by her to illustrate her immensly popular book.

The original Birch drawings show Cedric wearing a sailor hat, black velvet suit, large (but not huge) pointed lace collar without ruffles, a sash, black stockings, and patent shoes. One interesting point is that Cedric in the Birch drawings had long hair, but they were not done into the carefully curled ringlets that many boys, especially American boys were to wear with their Fauntleroy suits. Even Vivian Burnett's hair was not done in ringlets.

The many illustrators that followed Burnett often did not closely folow the book or the first illustrator. Little Lord Fauntleroy appeared in suits and stockings of many colors. Often his hair was done in long ringlets.

Figure 3.--This color drawing by Birch was one of a seies redrawn for the 1937 edition of the Burnett classicclosly followed one of Reginald Birch's original classic drawings.

Birch was later to claims that his career was almost wrecked because of the critical odium attached to the Little Lord Fauntleroy.

Book Illustrations

Birch illustrated the classic first edition of Little Lord Fauntleroy. The popular image of the young hero, Cedric Erol, is still based on those illustrations. He also illustrated other editions as well as many other books.

Little Lord Fauntleroy: First Edition, 1886

The first edition of Francis Hodgson Burnett's book Little Lord Fauntleroy was illustrated by Reginald Birch. The image of Little Lord Fauntleroy, Cedric Erol, was largely set by the Birch drawings. Actual descriptions of costumes were very limited in the book itself. Many subsequent editions of the book, both Americam, foreign were illustrated by others. None of these illustrations, however, were to have the influence of Birch's originals. Many used the Birch drawings as a model. Others came up with a wide variety of fanciful outfits.

Figure 4.--.

Little Lord Fauntleroy, ? Edition, 1930

BURNETT,Frances Hodgson, Little Lord Fauntleroy. ill. Reginald Birch. 1930.

Little Lord Fauntleroy, ? Edition, 1937

Birch for the 1937 edition of Little Lord Fauntleroy redrew many of his original illustrations in color.

Other articles and books

Other magazine articles and books illustrated by Reginald Birch include:

Burnett, Little Lord Fauntleroy, éd. Scribner, 1886.

Betty’s Sunday by A.J.H. St. Nicholas: An Illustrated Magazine for Young Folks. Ed. Mary Mapes Dodge. New York: Century Co. Volume 14, No. 9 (July 1887), 673.

Small and Early Tudor Jenks. St. Nicholas. Volume 16, No. 9 (July 1889), 684.

Figure 5.--This is a Birch drawing from "The Prince and the Brewer Boy".

The Prince and the Brewer's Son by Elizabeth Balch. St. Nicholas. Volume 17, No. 1 (November 1889), 53.

"The Story of Prince Fairyfoot" (1890)

"Little Saint Elizabeth" (1890)

"Behind the White Brick"(1890)

"Frontispiece" St. Elizabeth (1890)

Burnett, Frances Hodgson. Giovanni and the Other: Children Who Have Made Stories. 193 + 16 ad pp. Illustrated with 9 plates from etchings by Reginald Birch. Original green cloth, stamped dec. in gilt, darker green & purple, purplish-brown endpapers. First American Edition. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1892.

"Illustrissimo Signor Bebe" (1892)

"The Tinker's Tom" (1892)

Louisa May Alcott, Little Men, éd. Little, 1901.

BALDWIN,James, The Story of Roland. ill. R.B. Birch. Scribner, 1911.

Reginald Birch Dame Quimp's Quest by Ellen Manly Pen, brush and ink on paper. December 1922.

Erckmann-Chatrian, Marie-Thérèse, 1933.

STOCKTON,Frank R., The Reformed Pirate: stories from The Floating Prince, Ting-a-ling Tales, & The Queen's Museum. ill. Reginald Birch. 1936.

Savery, Constance. Birch, Reginald [Illus. by]. : MOONSHINE IN CANDLE STREET. : NY: Longmans, Green ; 1937 ; First Edition ; 149 pp. ; Blue cloth; Good Plus Condition; w/6 b&w illustrations by REGINALD BIRCH.

Reginald Birch--His Book, edited by Elisabeth Hamilton, Harcourt Brace 1939, edition unstated. Dozens of Birch illustrations from the 1880s to the 1930s along with his poetry and prose.

FIVE CHRISTMAS NOVELS, DICKENS, CHARLES, HERITAGE. 1939. HARDCOVER. ILLUS. BY REGINALD BIRCH.

Two illustrations by Reginald Birch for tales by Frances Burnett:In One of the Boxes and "There she is," They would cry.

Bonnie May, illustrated by Reginald Birch, was an immediate success and established Dodge's reputation as an author. Its theme was simple. Bonnie May, a child of the theater, sees through the clear eyes of a young person the hypocrisy of many conventions of respectable life which are taken for granted. To her the stage has always been a reality and the life of conventional people seems to be artificial. It is they who are acting a part. Reviewers were generous with their praise.

Two Little Pilgrim's Progress Frances Hodgson Burnett, University Microfilms, 1966, beautiful illus. by Reginald Birch, story of children's adventure to the Chicago Worlds fair in 1893.