Molly (Mary Elizabeth) Brett grew up in Surrey, Great Britain,
surrounded by animals and nature. Her mother, Mary Gould Brett, was a
respected animal painter who encouraged her daughter to paint from life,
and this is reflected in Molly’s gift for making her animals look
thoroughly naturalistic while giving them human characteristics and
activities. And like Beatrix Potter, her artwork also reflects her great
observational powers in depicting nature, especially notable in the two
illustrations above.
Molly began her art training with a correspondence course in
illustration, followed by formal instruction at Press Art School and the
Guildford Art School. It was at Guildford that she met Margaret Tarrant
(also destined to attain substantial fame as an illustrator), who soon
became a close friend and lived with her in Cornwall. She began her
career by illustrating “weekly papers” for children. One of her earliest
commissions was to illustrate stories by Enid Blyton. Inspired by this,
she went on to write and illustrate 21 books of her own for the Medici
Society of London, with whom she was associated for sixty years. Medici
has published over 500 of her paintings as postcards, greeting cards and
prints.
Molly Brett’s work has enchanted generations of children with its
beautifully drawn details, subtle colors and magical atmosphere. Her
work follows in the tradition of other twentieth-century “dressed
animal” illustrators such as Beatrix Potter, Margaret Tempest, Racey
Helps, and others.
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