Marjorie L Davies

Dec 10 2007 by David Charters, Liverpool Daily Post

THE summer hols had only just begun, but George, Dick, Julian and Anne were vexed and although Timmy was wagging his tail as hard as he could, it made no difference.

Marjorie L Davies, one of Enid Blyton’s favourite artists, had turned down the chance to illustrate the Famous Five books.

She was also to decline some Noddy commissions, but the delightful lady was compensated for what she regarded as her worst commercial decision by a career which embraced Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, as well as numerous book and magazine covers.

On Christmas mornings, children would find annuals stretching the wool of the stockings at the ends of their beds, having no idea that they were illustrated by Marjorie Davies.

The paintings weren’t for the artist’s glory, but to give life and colour to the stories of the formidable Miss Blyton, Lewis Carroll and others.

Marjorie Louise Clements was born in Hampstead, the only daughter of Alfred and Louise Clements.

She studied at St Martin’s School of Art, London, from which she was hired by the Link Studio to illustrate My Magazine, Arthur Mee’s 1920s periodical for youngsters.

When not working on her sketches, which, with characteristic modesty, she dismissed as “doodles”, Marjorie loved to watch cricket – a joy for her, as was snooker, into old age, when, beneath a bloom of white hair, she stared through glasses at the TV set in her half-timbered cottage in Chailey, Sussex.

In 1931, her colour illustrations appeared in Blackie’s Annual and, three years later, she was doing line drawings of the Alice stories for Hutchinson’s.

During this creative period, she completed an acclaimed picture of the Pied Piper for Shand-Kydd wallpaper.

She married John Davies in 1935 and her career was interrupted by the war when she served with the Women’s Land Army at farms in Sussex.

After the war, she contacted Enid Blyton about her drawings, but the writer told her not to send samples unless they were first-class, which they were, resulting in Davies illustrations appearing in the Bedside, Holiday and Flower annuals, as well as the Enid Blyton and Sunny Stories magazines.

But the wonderful Eileen Soper drew the Famous Five.

More recently, Marjorie Davies had designed a village sign for Chailey, where she contributed to the parish magazine.

Marjorie L Davies, illustrator; born June 5, 1906, died November 28, 2007.