The 'Witch's House
Book Illustration
ca. 1920 (made)
ca. 1920 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Margaret Tempest's children's book illustrations are characterised by subtle shades of watercolour as seen in this image of a witch's house. Tempest began her illustrating career in the 1920s and is best known as the creator of the children's book characters Little Grey Rabbit and Fuzzypeg the hedgehog. This long-running series of children's books, written by Alison Uttley and published beginning in 1929, are still being re-issued today. Margaret Tempest illustrated the first 30 of these, until 1970. The individual characterisation in her images made them household names. In fact artist and author often disagreed as to who could take the most credit for creating the characters. Tempest also wrote and illustrated 20 books of her own in the 1940s and 1950s, including the Pinky Mouse and Curley Cobbler series.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The 'Witch's House (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Watercolour on board |
| Brief description | Book illustration, 'The Witch's House', by Margaret Mary Tempest, in watercolour on paper, ca. 1920. |
| Physical description | Painting of a thatched cottage set in a garden with toadstools and a well, and situated in a pine forest and mountain landscape. The witch's cauldron stands on a fire to the left of the cottage. The cottage door has an eye-shaped window. An owl sits on the chimney and a spider's web hangs from a nearby pine tree. |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Gallery label | Display 'Into the Woods: Trees in Illustration'; Gallery 102; June 2017 to the end of January 2018
Margaret Mary Tempest (1892-1982)
The Witch's House
About 1920
Margaret Tempest is best known for her illustrations to Alison Uttley's 'Little Grey Rabbit' stories, but she also illustrated religious books and fairy tales. This is probably an illustration to one of Hans Christian Andersen's stories. The witch's house, with its frowning roof and the eye in the door, is nestled into a forest of fir trees.
Waterolour on board
Given by the artist
Museum no. E.101-1980(2017) |
| Credit line | Given by the artist |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Margaret Tempest's children's book illustrations are characterised by subtle shades of watercolour as seen in this image of a witch's house. Tempest began her illustrating career in the 1920s and is best known as the creator of the children's book characters Little Grey Rabbit and Fuzzypeg the hedgehog. This long-running series of children's books, written by Alison Uttley and published beginning in 1929, are still being re-issued today. Margaret Tempest illustrated the first 30 of these, until 1970. The individual characterisation in her images made them household names. In fact artist and author often disagreed as to who could take the most credit for creating the characters. Tempest also wrote and illustrated 20 books of her own in the 1940s and 1950s, including the Pinky Mouse and Curley Cobbler series. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.101-1980 |
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| Record created | January 6, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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