FOLKARD, Charles

“There was a distinct touch of the magician about him which materially helped his rendering of the part” 

Charles Folkard was born in Lewisham in 1878. Before choosing the illustrating path, Folkard worked as a conjurer and it was apparently through designing his own programmes that he discovered his artistic talent. Folkard studied at various art schools including the St John’s Wood School of Art and Goldsmith’s College School of Art before establishing himself through illustrating children’s classics and nursery literature. His artistic style combined naturalism with elements of caricature. 

After contributing humorous drawings to Little Folks and Tatler, Folkard’s breakthrough opportunity came when he entered the gift book market by illustrating The Smith Family Robinson in 1910. The following year he entered into a highly successful collaboration with A&C Black, illustrating both The Children’s Shakespeare and Grimm’s Fairy Tales.  His 27 year partnership with the publishing company produced many successes including the wonderful Mother Goose’s Nursery Rhymes in which he created highly evocative and colourful images of such nursery favourites as Old King Cole and The Queen of Hearts.

In 1915 Folkard created the first daily cartoon strip, Teddy Tail, published in the Daily Mail, which he drew until 1920.  He continued illustrating children's books, including several for Dent's Children's Illustrated Classics series, until only 10 days before he died in Hailsham, Sussex, 26th February 1963.

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