Meet Gladys Peto

Elusive, enigmatic, an artisan of extraordinary originality and talent, it's difficult to understand why an illustrator and writer as accomplished and pioneering as Gladys Emma Peto was during the 1920s and 30s is not recognised today as one of the greatest artists of her time.

What little is known about her has been gleaned from hours of research of obituaries, magazines and publications from the 20s and 30s, and piecing together evidence from the few letters and articles about her that still exist.

It is known that she was born in Maidenhead, Berkshire in 1890.  As child, she went to Maidenhead High School, then Harvington College in Ealing.  She later went on to study at the Maidenhead School of Arts in 1908 and the London School of art in 1911.  She then undertook a design course at the John Hassall Correspondence school in 1918.

She married Cuthbert Lindsay Emmerson in 1922.  He was in the Royal Army Medical Corps, and they travelled extensively throughout Egypt, Cyprus and Malta between 1924 and 1928.  They went on to live in India between 1933 and 1938, and finally settled in Northern Ireland in 1939.  She died in 1977.

It is not known whether Gladys and Cuthbert had any children, nor if they have any living relatives remaining.  To the best of my knowledge, there is no archive of her original artwork, which is extraordinary given the vast amount of illustrations she produced.

If you are a relative of Gladys Peto or Cuthbert Lindsay Emmerson, or have any information to share, please get in touch - maybe we can shine a light on this supremely talented artist and bring her work to the attention of a whole new generation.

Colour Plates

Gladys Peto's children's books contained between four and eight colour plates. Here is a selection of my favourites:

Black and White Illustrations

Gladys Peto's children's books were profusely illustrated with black and white illustrations.  Here is a selection of my favourites:

Handkerchief Books

During the 1920s and 1930s, several 'handkerchief books' were produced depicting Gladys Peto's artwork.  These charming publications contained six square children's handkerchiefs made from Irish linen, and covered subjects such as schooltime, nursery rhymes and Alice in Wonderland.

Schooltime Handkerchiefs

Alice in Wonderland Handkerchiefs

Nursery Rhyme Handkerchiefs

Costume Design, Fabrics, and the "Gladys Peto Dress"

Gladys Peto's inimitable style was in such high demand that she was often called upon as a costume and set designer for the theatre.  Here is a selection of images showing what a fabulous transition her designs made from the storybook to the stage.

Ceramics: Tuscan Nursery Ware

Gladys Peto's illustrations were proving so popular, that in 1929, the pottery company R H & S Plant Ltd., manufacturers of porcelain and china at the Tuscan Works in Longton, England, produced an exquisite range of children's nursery ware decorated with her artwork.

Travel Writing

During the 1920s, Cyprus became a British Crown Colony, and many military personnel and colonial officials were posted there to administer the island. Gladys Peto's husband, Cuthbert Lindsay Emmerson was one of those officials, and between 1924 and 1928, he was stationed in Cyprus, Egypt and Malta.

Gladys accompanied him on his travels, and her experiences in the Far East had a considerable influence on her writing, resulting in stories such as Cynthia in Cairo and On the Nile popping up in otherwise typically British children's books.

Furthermore, her experiences resulted in two travel guide books published by J. M. Dent & Sons as part of The Outward Bound Library; Malta and Cyprus (1926) and The Egypt of the Sojourner (1928), the only two non-fiction books that Gladys wrote. These books provide a superb and often hilarious insight into the daily life of an upper class woman abroad, and are a unique mixture of historical and cultural observation and social critique. In keeping with her enthusiasm for style and fashion, there are frequent references to the appearance of the locals:

" The Greek women of the Troodos district are much addicted to wearing a blue frock with an apron of a particularly delightful shade of salmon pink, both made of the local fabric alaja. They are a mostly friendly folk. If you are able to talk to them, the women have the most curious habit of patting you upon the cheek when they take leave, which is rather disconcerting. They also uphold the fallacy that if they speak Greek to you very, very slowly and incredibly loud, you are sure to understand every word."

In addition to these publications, Peto's artwork was used to illustrate the cover of the 1931 magazine Egypt and the Sudan, for which she also supplied heading flourishes for the interior articles.

In 1998 the Laiki Group Cultural Centre and the Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia produced an exquisite limited edition, linen-bound book called In the Footsteps of Women: Peregrinations in Cyprus. The book is beautifully produced and includes a chapter on Gladys Peto, and reproductions of her illustrations from Malta and Cyprus.

Book Jacket Illustrations for Other People

As well as illustrating her own books, Gladys Emma Peto was called upon to illustrate book covers for other authors too, including Sophia Cleugh and Louisa M. Alcott.  Having drawn the plates for earlier editions of Louisa M. Alcott's books, Gladys was then asked to design the covers for the later 'budget' editions.

An Interview with Gladys Peto

Only one Gladys Peto interview is known to exist, and it was published in The Empire Annual for Girls (1920).  Here is the complete interview:

The Sketch

The Sketch was a high-quality society magazine published in England between 1893 and 1959.  During its heyday in the 1920s, Gladys Peto regularly contributed illustrations and "flourish" headings for articles, in particular, the Look Here column.

Greetings Cards

Gladys Peto's enchanting illustrations made a perfect transition to greeting cards and postcards.  Here are a few of them:

Birthday card

Christmas card

Postcard

Postcard

Advertising

Gladys Peto's use of bright colours, coupled with her unique and instantly recognizable art deco style, made her work highly desirable in the world of advertising.  Her artwork was used to advertise products such as Allen and Hanburys' (Allenburys') infant foods, Erasmic soaps and toiletries, Caley's chocolate, Doctor's China Tea, and British Rail.

Geo Pulman Pochoirs (Black)

In addition to her book illustrations, Gladys Peto created many "pochoir" prints, which were produced by Geo Pulman & Sons Ltd.  The pochoir technique is created by using thin copper or zinc cut-out stencil guides on individual black outline prints which are then coloured by hand using watercolour paints.  Below is a selection of her prints with black backgrounds (they were also produced with white backgrounds).

Geo Pulman Pochoirs (White)

In addition to her book illustrations, Gladys Peto created many "pochoir" prints, which were produced by Geo Pulman & Sons Ltd.  The pochoir technique is created by using thin copper or zinc cut-out stencil guides on individual black outline prints which are then coloured by hand using watercolour paints.  Below is a selection of her prints with white backgrounds (they were also produced with black backgrounds).  Please forgive the poor quality photographs - it's very difficult to photograph framed prints!

First Steps

The Hole in the Stocking

Lady Moon

A Rose of Olden Times

Lantern Time

At the Well

The Maltese Garden

The Capture

The Busy Hive

Storybooks for Older Children

As Peto's audience grew up, so too did the little girls in her illustrations, emerging from the chrysalis of their magical childhoods into elegant and sophisticated society girls.

Storybooks for School Children

Most of Gladys Peto's books were aimed at school children, and although many different titles were published, often whole stories and colour plates were reproduced from her previous books.  Occasionally, a book containing entirely new material was published; The Four-Leaved Clover was one of them.

These books were published by John F. Shaw & Co. Ltd., and were written solely by Gladys Peto.  They contained either four or eight colour plates, and were profusely illustrated with black and white line drawings.

 

Storybooks for Very Young Children

Some of Gladys Peto's books were aimed at very young children, and contained collections of stories written by well-known authors of the time, including: Gilbert Frankau, Sheila Kaye-Smith, G. B. Stern, Berta Ruck, Christine Jope-Slade, K. L. Murray, Patrick MacGill, Margery Maitland Davidson, Sewell Stokes, and even Gladys' husband, Cuthbert Lindsay Emmerson.  The photo on the right is of Gladys Peto with Isola Strong, who modelled for her drawings for the Gladys Peto's Children's Annual. 

Early Works: Under the Lilacs

After the publication of Simple Simon: His Adventures in the Thistle Patch, the publishers Sampson Low, Marston & Co. brought out new editions of a number of Louisa M. Alcott's books, this time illustrated with four full-colour plates by Gladys Peto.  Again, the illustrations are quite naive, but one can clearly see the embryonic stages of what was to become Peto's trademark style.

Here are the illustrations from Under the Lilacs:

Early Works: Aunt Jo's Scrap-Bag

After the publication of Simple Simon: His Adventures in the Thistle Patch, the publishers Sampson Low, Marston & Co. brought out new editions of a number of Louisa M. Alcott's books, this time illustrated with four full-colour plates by Gladys Peto.  Again, the illustrations are quite naive, but one can clearly see the embryonic stages of what was to become Peto's trademark style.

Here are the illustrations from Aunt Jo's Scrap-Bag:

Early Works: Jo's Boys

After the publication of Simple Simon: His Adventures in the Thistle Patch , the publishers Sampson Low, Marston & Co. brought out a number of new editions of Louisa M. Alcott's books, this time illustrated with four full-colour plates by Gladys Peto.  Again, the illustrations are quite naive, but one can clearly see the embryonic stages of what was to become Peto's trademark style. 

Here are the illustrations from Jo's Boys:

Early Works: Simple Simon

The earliest known published illustrations by Gladys Peto were eight pencil sketches illustrating Simple Simon: His Adventures in the Thistle Patch by A. Neil Lyons, published by The Bodley Head in 1914.

These illustrations are quite naively executed, and are markedly different from the distinctive art deco style that Gladys Peto later became famous for.  Nevertheless, they are a fascinating insight into the early attempts of this burgeoning new artist.