Kate Greenaway

Kate (Catherine) Greenaway was one of the most successful female artists and writers of Victorian England.  As she grew up and attended school (1858-1871), women were largely confined to careers in teaching and the decorative arts.  Greenaway herself began her career designing holiday cards for a growing market, but soon became popular for her idealized images of children of a previous century that were more fantasy than reality.  She received her first commission for book illustrations in 1867, and by 1879, with the publication of her immediate bestseller Under the Window, Greenaway had cemented herself into popular culture for an international market.  Her whimsical depictions of children’s costumes were so popular that a large department store in London produced clothing designs for children based on her delightful illustrations.

Decades after her death from breast cancer at the age of 55, the Kate Greenaway Medal was established to recognize excellence in children’s book illustration.