Name Peggy Fortnum | ||
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Margaret Emily Noel Fortnum (23 December 1919 – 28 March 2016) as pen name Peggy Fortnum was an English illustrator best known for illustrating children's literature series Paddington Bear.
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Biography
Fortnum was born in England on 23 December 1919, at Harrow, Middlesex. She briefly attended Tunbridge Wells School of Art in 1939, before she enlisted in the Auxiliary Territorial Service during World War II. While in the military, she sustained serious injuries when she was run over by a truck, requiring a prolonged period of recovery.
After her recovery from her injuries she attended the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London. She worked as an art teacher, painter, and textile designer before becoming a full-time book illustrator. She has illustrated nearly eighty books (2015). Her most well-known illustrations are of Michael Bond's character, Paddington Bear. The first illustrations of Paddington were made by Fortnum for "A Bear called Paddington".
Although her pen-and-ink drawings of Paddington were done in black and white, some of her work has been coloured by other artists, including her step granddaughter, Caroline Nuttall-Smith.
Personal life
Fortnum married artist and sculptor Ralph Nuttall-Smith in 1958 (died 1988). Fortnum resided in Essex, England and died in March 2016 at the age of 96. She was survived by her two nephews, the film historian Kevin Brownlow, and the sculptor John Fortnum.