Many of you vintage loving ladies will recognise these 1930's baby prints......
Lilian Rowles ( nee Lilian May Bevis Hall ) was my Grandfather's cousin........
She was a prolific commercial artist during her lifetime and married Stanley Rowles who was responsible for designing many shipping and railway posters in the 1930's. They had a daughter Daphne who also became a well known artist in her own right.....the early Sindy doll annuals were her work, as well as other illustrations for books by Michael Bond.
Lilian used her children as models for her work..... Peter her son, being used in this series for The Lady's companion in 1930.
The front cover of this Good Night Story book was a self portrait of her and her children, Daphne and Peter.......
As a child I loved this book and the illustrations inside......
I still love looking through it, even though it is falling apart.....You know...... I always wanted to be the little girl in the book who had a puppy delivered in a basket.....how cool was that!
Oh......and how could I forget.....the baby in the original picture?
That is my Mum!
Lilian used her as a model for these well known prints, giving my Grandmother the original watercolour as a thank you present.
However, because Lilian gave my Mum blue eyes (she has brown) my Grandmother didn't like it and got rid of it.......aaaagh....no!!
Never mind, Dorothy Hall (the baby) is still very much here.......
Love you Mum xx
Julie x
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What a lovely story and a fantastic heritage. You (and your mum) must be very proud....and rightly so. Those images are just the sort of thing we all long to find now!
ReplyDeleteJenny x
Hi Julie
ReplyDeleteThe pictures are gorgeous, and how fantastic to have a family link - a really lovely story.
Jo x
Hi Julie
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to have those beautiful pictures and book and to have that family connection! I have always loved those baby pictures and I will see them with even greater interest now following your really interesting post. What a pity your Grandmother got rid of the originals....
Your Mother was a very pretty little baby!
Take care
Isabelle x
What a lovely family history. Those illustrations are gorgeous - lucky you to have such talented artists in your family.
ReplyDeleteNickyx
O. M. G. WHY DID YOU NOT TELL ME YOU WERE A CELEBRITY????
ReplyDeleteHelen xx
Wow what an amazing story, I have seen the baby pictures before and love them. The book illustrations are absolutely beautiful, thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteAnn x
Oh Julie that is fantastic .... how lovely to put some meat on the bones of those beautiful pictures. I have another two hidden somewhere in this clutterville of a house and have always loved them. When I decided on the name Lalabibaby (my daughter midwife is Laura or Lala to the children) I thought that photo would be a perfect avatar .... I do hope you don't mind .... I did think about copyright and if it is a problem please let me know. Your dear mum was a beauty and please tell her how much I love the picture. x
ReplyDeleteWhat absolutely charming illustrations and how lovely for you to have that record of your family. I adored them.
ReplyDeleteThat is an amazing story! Thanks so much for sharing it! I'm visiting from dreaming of the simple life's post about this xx
ReplyDeleteThey really are beautiful Illustrations xx
Annie xx
Such a wonderful family history! Your mum was such a bonny baby too!
ReplyDeleteRachel x
My mother had a set of the baby prints,they hung in her bedroom all through my childhood. I've no idea where they went when she died - thanks for reminding me of them. She would have been thrilled to know who the baby was!
ReplyDeleteHi
ReplyDeleteI have 2 of these pictures which I inherited from my husbands family. In 1962 I visited my husbands family and even though he was 20 years old along with the pictures of aeroplanes etc were these 2 beautiful pictures. One is of the Blue baby with the blue eyes as shown above and on the bottom it says 'Good Morning'. The other one is of a baby in pink (not shown here). She is fast asleep and it says 'Good Night'. I have kept these pictures and they hung in my children's bedrooms. In February 2010 I moved to Northern Cyprus but could not part with them. So today, I found them amongst the packing and they have been hung in my Grandchildren's room. Do you have anymore information on the 'pink' baby. That is the one with Lilian's name on it, so they must have been a pair.
Catherine Meddes, Alsancak, Northern Cyprus
catherine@meddes.net
Hello! Your blog is charming - and looks like your shop has some really lovely things. These prints are also wonderful heirlooms... I've mentioned your story and shop over at ShopCurious today, where the pink and blue prints are available. Susan x
ReplyDeleteDid this artist also do the Chessie pictures for a railroad company in the US? It was the same picture as the baby but there was a tabby kitten in the bed. I remember seeing lots of calendars with this pic during the 60's. I loved it! Also, I love pillowcase that you found with the embroided "S" (March 3). Are you going to sell it? You can contact me through my blog or at sharon.jett@comcast.net
ReplyDeleteHi can anyone tell me how much the original print of the good morning baby print is worth
ReplyDeleteMy father bought a print of The Brightest Jewel back in the 50's from a furniture shop in Australia. It was for the nursery for my parents first born (son). The print is still in the family and I had it reframed for my son's room back in 2001. Thanks for sharing the information and history on the print as well as Lillian Rowles.
ReplyDeleteI have them hanging in my bedroom as so my mother before she died, They were always on her bedroom wall as I grew up and moved several times with us, during the last house move the oval frames got broke so yhey were wrapped up and put in a box at the to of the cupboard. She always called them her baby twins,She always said I was to look after her baby twins so on her passing I had them framed and hung in my bedroom. These pictures mean so much to me
ReplyDelete