Kate Greenaway (1846-1901) was an influential illustrator and writer and member of the Aesthetic Movement. Trained at the Slade School of Art, she went on to produce illustrations for greetings cards, calendars, books and magazines, notably The Illustrated London News. In 1877 she exhibited at the Royal Academy and started a collaboration with the colour-printer Edmund Evans, producing several children's books including Under The Window (1879), The Birthday Book (1880), Mother Goose (1881) and The Language of Flowers (1884). Her first almanac, published in 1883, sold over 90,000 copies. These tiny illustrations appeared in one of Greenaway's best-loved books, The Language of Flowers, printed by Edmund Evans and published by George Routledge in 1884.

Her unique blend of Pre-Raphaelite detail, bold design and delicate colours also appeared on china, tiles, wallpaper and ephemera. She was a close friend of Helen Allingham and her work was admired by the writer and critic John Ruskin. She drew from life and is best known for her illustrations of quaint but dispirited and melancholic children dressed in Regency costume.