Flower fairies
Encyclopedia
Flower Fairies are illustrations by Cicely Mary Barker
, created during the first half of the 20th century.
and even more so by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and she developed her talent as a member of the Croydon Art Society. Her flower fairy paintings, in particular, were driven by the Victorian popularity of fairies and fairy stories.
Cicely Mary Barker published her first Flower Fairies book in 1923; she received £25 for Flower Fairies of the Spring, a collection of twenty-four paintings and illustrations. The books enjoyed huge popularity due to Queen Mary
’s well-known interest in fairy art. She later published seven more volumes of Flower Fairies. Following the publication of Cicely Mary Barker’s original Flower Fairy paintings and verses, two series of fairy stories featuring original Flower Fairies characters, Flower Fairies Friends and, more recently, Secret Stories, have also been published.
The Flower Fairies were Cicely Mary Barker’s most well-known creations. They are notable in particular because of the sweet, realistic depiction of the children, modeled on children enrolled in her sister Dorothy’s kindergarten. She has also been likened to Beatrix Potter
in the botanical accuracy of the plants and flowers amidst which the fairies dwell. The Flower Fairies and all related publications are licensed properties of Frederick Warne & Co
and the Estate of Cicely Mary Barker.
Flower Fairies are very shy creatures, and are especially wary of humans. Each fairy has extra-sensitive ears, so if they hear someone coming close to them they are careful to flutter into their flower and curl up tightly. Each fairy wears an outfit made from their own leaves and flowers, so it is easy for them to hide. To befriend a fairy, the first thing you must do is to leave a dish of milk or sugar or even cream out for them in the night.
Beautiful Wild Cherry can be spotted peeping through her delicate blooms in early Springtime. Although rather shy, Wild Cherry has many friends among the Flower Fairies of the trees, and one of their favorite games is hide and seek high up in the treetops!
Almond Blossom is a wonderful sight in her dress crafted from beautiful pink petals. When the other fairies see her dancing and gliding through the branches they know it's almost Springtime! Happy and fun-loving, Almond Blossom is everyone's friend.
Lavender loves to sing and play. One of her favorite things to do is twirl around and around a lavender stem until she feels quite dizzy! She is friends with the white butterflies that flutter around her flowers, and they often play games of chase, darting back and forth amongst her sweetly scented fronds. She provides her scented flowers to the other fairies to make their clothes smell delicious.
Sweet Rose is the gentlest of the summer Flower Fairies. A kind fairy, she likes nothing more than tiptoeing around her flowers and tending to them in the warm sunshine. She is a very good friend to the honey bees and is often seen guiding them to her fullest blooms and standing protectively beside them as they collect pollen.
Zinnia's flowers are some of the brightest in the garden, with their blooms ranging from pale pink to dramatic orange! With her tortoiseshell wings Zinnia is a colourful sight as she flutters around the flower bed, tending to her blooms and collecting petals to make pretty costumes.
Outgoing and friendly, Buttercup likes nothing better than to skip through the summer meadows, visiting friends and singing to herself in the sunshine. She fills the fields with her yellow flowers, which she polishes until they shine like gold, which give pleasure to all her fairy friends and human children too.
Flower Fairies of the Spring (1923)
ISBN 978-0-72-324826-2
Flower Fairies of the Summer (1925)
ISBN 978-0-72-324827-9
Flower Fairies of the Autumn (1926)
ISBN 978-0-72-324828-6
A Flower Fairy Alphabet (1934)
ISBN 978-0-72-324832-3
Flower Fairies of the Trees (1940)
ISBN 978-0-72-324833-0
Flower Fairies of the Garden (1944)
ISBN 978-0-72-324831-6
Flower Fairies of the Wayside (1948)
ISBN 978-0-72-324830-9
Flower Fairies of the Winter (1985)
ISBN 978-0-72-324-8293
Though first published in the first half of the century, Cicely Mary Barker’s original eight volumes were re-launched in 2002 with slightly contemporary jackets, while maintaining their classic artwork.
In addition, Frederick Warne & Co
has also published the following compilations of Cicely Mary Barker’s Flower Fairy artwork and poetry.
The Complete Book of the Flower Fairies (1996)
ISBN 978-0-72-324839-2
Flower Fairies: The Meaning of Flowers (1996)
ISBN 978-0-72-324291-8
A Treasury of the Flower Fairies (1997)
ISBN 978-0-72-324887-3
Cicely Mary Barker and Her Art (1995)
ISBN 978-0-72-324051-8
Cicely Mary Barker
Cicely Mary Barker was an English illustrator best known for a series of fantasy illustrations depicting fairies and flowers. Barker's art education began in girlhood with correspondence courses and instruction at the Croydon School of Art...
, created during the first half of the 20th century.
The Creator of The Flower Fairies
Flower Fairies are the product of English illustrator Cicely Mary Barker. Unable to go to school as a child because of her epilepsy, she was home-schooled and spent much of her time drawing and painting. Her artwork was influenced by illustrator Kate GreenawayKate Greenaway
Catherine Greenaway , known as Kate Greenaway, was an English children's book illustrator and writer, who spent much of her childhood at Rolleston, Nottinghamshire. She studied at what is now the Royal College of Art in London, which at that time had a separate section for women, and was headed by...
and even more so by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and she developed her talent as a member of the Croydon Art Society. Her flower fairy paintings, in particular, were driven by the Victorian popularity of fairies and fairy stories.
Cicely Mary Barker published her first Flower Fairies book in 1923; she received £25 for Flower Fairies of the Spring, a collection of twenty-four paintings and illustrations. The books enjoyed huge popularity due to Queen Mary
Mary of Teck
Mary of Teck was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V....
’s well-known interest in fairy art. She later published seven more volumes of Flower Fairies. Following the publication of Cicely Mary Barker’s original Flower Fairy paintings and verses, two series of fairy stories featuring original Flower Fairies characters, Flower Fairies Friends and, more recently, Secret Stories, have also been published.
The Flower Fairies were Cicely Mary Barker’s most well-known creations. They are notable in particular because of the sweet, realistic depiction of the children, modeled on children enrolled in her sister Dorothy’s kindergarten. She has also been likened to Beatrix Potter
Beatrix Potter
Helen Beatrix Potter was an English author, illustrator, natural scientist and conservationist best known for her imaginative children’s books featuring animals such as those in The Tale of Peter Rabbit which celebrated the British landscape and country life.Born into a privileged Unitarian...
in the botanical accuracy of the plants and flowers amidst which the fairies dwell. The Flower Fairies and all related publications are licensed properties of Frederick Warne & Co
Frederick Warne & Co
Frederick Warne & Co was a British publishing firm famous for children's books, particularly those of Beatrix Potter. It was founded in 1865 by a bookseller, who gave his own name to the firm.- History :...
and the Estate of Cicely Mary Barker.
What is a Flower Fairy?
Flower Fairies are tiny creatures (the biggest is only 20cm tall) that live in the bottom of gardens, the middle of grassy meadows, and on the edge of distant marshes. Wherever and whenever a seed sprouts, a Flower Fairy baby is born. Each Flower Fairy lives and sleeps in their chosen flower, plant or tree, and as this grows the fairy grows too. Each and every Flower Fairy is in charge of looking after their flower or plant; keeping it strong and healthy by making sure it has plenty of sunshine and water to drink, sweeping away dead leaves, and polishing flowers and stems.How to Find Flower Fairies
The best times of the day to see a fairy are at twilight, midnight, just before sunrise, and midday. And the best time of the year to see a fairy is on Midsummer's eve, as this is the most magical time for all fairies. Flower Fairies love music and dancing, and hold many balls and parties throughout the year, but on this special night they throw the most wonderful party of all, and every fairy in Flower Fairyland is invited! Fairies don't like to be discovered, and are very good at disappearing quickly (with the help of their magical fairy dust), so you must be very careful and very patient if you are to see one.Flower Fairies are very shy creatures, and are especially wary of humans. Each fairy has extra-sensitive ears, so if they hear someone coming close to them they are careful to flutter into their flower and curl up tightly. Each fairy wears an outfit made from their own leaves and flowers, so it is easy for them to hide. To befriend a fairy, the first thing you must do is to leave a dish of milk or sugar or even cream out for them in the night.
Who are The Flower Fairies?
Below are a few of Cicely Mary Barker’s well-known fairies.- Wild Cherry
Beautiful Wild Cherry can be spotted peeping through her delicate blooms in early Springtime. Although rather shy, Wild Cherry has many friends among the Flower Fairies of the trees, and one of their favorite games is hide and seek high up in the treetops!
- Almond Blossom
Almond Blossom is a wonderful sight in her dress crafted from beautiful pink petals. When the other fairies see her dancing and gliding through the branches they know it's almost Springtime! Happy and fun-loving, Almond Blossom is everyone's friend.
- Lavender
Lavender loves to sing and play. One of her favorite things to do is twirl around and around a lavender stem until she feels quite dizzy! She is friends with the white butterflies that flutter around her flowers, and they often play games of chase, darting back and forth amongst her sweetly scented fronds. She provides her scented flowers to the other fairies to make their clothes smell delicious.
- Rose
Sweet Rose is the gentlest of the summer Flower Fairies. A kind fairy, she likes nothing more than tiptoeing around her flowers and tending to them in the warm sunshine. She is a very good friend to the honey bees and is often seen guiding them to her fullest blooms and standing protectively beside them as they collect pollen.
- Zinnia
Zinnia's flowers are some of the brightest in the garden, with their blooms ranging from pale pink to dramatic orange! With her tortoiseshell wings Zinnia is a colourful sight as she flutters around the flower bed, tending to her blooms and collecting petals to make pretty costumes.
- Buttercup
Outgoing and friendly, Buttercup likes nothing better than to skip through the summer meadows, visiting friends and singing to herself in the sunshine. She fills the fields with her yellow flowers, which she polishes until they shine like gold, which give pleasure to all her fairy friends and human children too.
The Original Flower Fairies Books
Below are the eight original Flower Fairies books and the dates they were published by Cicely Mary Barker’s original publisher, Blackie.Flower Fairies of the Spring (1923)
ISBN 978-0-72-324826-2
Flower Fairies of the Summer (1925)
ISBN 978-0-72-324827-9
Flower Fairies of the Autumn (1926)
ISBN 978-0-72-324828-6
A Flower Fairy Alphabet (1934)
ISBN 978-0-72-324832-3
Flower Fairies of the Trees (1940)
ISBN 978-0-72-324833-0
Flower Fairies of the Garden (1944)
ISBN 978-0-72-324831-6
Flower Fairies of the Wayside (1948)
ISBN 978-0-72-324830-9
Flower Fairies of the Winter (1985)
ISBN 978-0-72-324-8293
Though first published in the first half of the century, Cicely Mary Barker’s original eight volumes were re-launched in 2002 with slightly contemporary jackets, while maintaining their classic artwork.
In addition, Frederick Warne & Co
Frederick Warne & Co
Frederick Warne & Co was a British publishing firm famous for children's books, particularly those of Beatrix Potter. It was founded in 1865 by a bookseller, who gave his own name to the firm.- History :...
has also published the following compilations of Cicely Mary Barker’s Flower Fairy artwork and poetry.
The Complete Book of the Flower Fairies (1996)
ISBN 978-0-72-324839-2
Flower Fairies: The Meaning of Flowers (1996)
ISBN 978-0-72-324291-8
A Treasury of the Flower Fairies (1997)
ISBN 978-0-72-324887-3
Cicely Mary Barker and Her Art (1995)
ISBN 978-0-72-324051-8