Janet and Anne Grahame Johnstone
In January, I wrote about my favorite childhood poem, which comes from a book of nursery rhymes illustrated by Janet and Anne Grahame Johnstone. After writing that post, I became intrigued by the Johnstone sisters, but couldn’t find much information about them beyond their Wikipedia page and this lovely book blog (the comments are especially interesting).
It seems the pair of British sisters was quite well-known and respected as illustrators of over 100 children’s books. Both artists worked together on each piece, and they never married, choosing to remain at home their entire lives. After Janet died in 1979, Anne took over the work alone, and continued illustrating until her death in 1998.
The illustrations of Janet and Anne Grahame Johnstone are beloved by many, but there’s so little information available about the sisters themselves. For years, I’ve been captivated by the incredibly detailed pictures within my book, and it’s become one of my favorite possessions. Here are a few of the works for you to enjoy, too.
(An illustration for “Rockabye Baby,” by Janet and Anne Grahame Johnstone.)
(An illustration for “Little Miss Muppet,” by Janet and Anne Grahame Johnstone.)
(An illustration for “The Man in the Moon,” by Janet and Anne Grahame Johnstone.)
(An illustration from “Wynken, Blynken, and Nod,” by Janet and Anne Grahame Johnstone.)
(An illustration from “Wynken, Blynken, and Nod,” by Janet and Anne Grahame Johnstone.)
(An illustration from “The Kite Poem,” by Janet and Anne Grahame Johnstone.)
(An illustration from “Mary, Mary Quite Contrary,” by Janet and Anne Grahame Johnstone.)
I wish I knew more about the talented and fascinating Johnstone sisters, and I hope you enjoy their beautiful illustrations as much as I do.
