Nellie Marcia Lane Foster later Marcia Jarrett, (1897–1983), was a British artist notable as a printmaker, portrait painter and book illustrator.

Biography

Foster was born at Seaton in Devon but raised in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

before she moved to London. There she studied at the St John's Wood School of Art then at the

Royal Academy Schools The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purpo ...

before enrolling at the

Central School of Arts and Crafts The Central School of Art and Design was a public art school, school of fine arts, fine and applied arts in London, England. It offered foundation and degree level courses. It was established in 1896 by the London County Council as the Central ...

where she was taught printmaking by

Noel Rooke Noel Rooke (1881–1953) was a British wood-engraver and artist. His ideas and teaching made a major contribution to the revival of British wood-engraving in the twentieth century. Biography Rooke was born in Acton, London and he would remain in ...

. At the Central School she was awarded a silver medal for figure painting in 1921. After graduating Foster created a career that combined portrait painting with illustrating books and the production of advertising material. For almost twenty years Foster designed promotional material for William Hollins & Co and their various brands which included

Viyella Viyella is a blend of wool and cotton first woven in 1893 in England, and the "first branded fabric in the world".''Times'', 8 Sep 1987 It was made of 55% merino wool and 45% cotton in a twill weave, developed by James and Robert Sissons of Wil ...

and Clydella. She also created illustrations for Cadbury,

Nestlé Nestlé S.A. (; ; ) is a Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. It is the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other metrics, since ...

Clarks Shoes C. & J. Clark International Ltd, doing business as Clarks, is a British international shoe manufacturer and retailer. It was founded in 1825 by Cyrus Clark in the village of Street, Somerset, England, where the company's headquarters remain. ...

Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...

and other brand names. Throughout her career Foster illustrated several dozen books. For a 1923 edition of ''The Merrie Tales of Jacques Tournebroche'' by

Anatole France (; born , ; 16 April 1844 – 12 October 1924) was a French poet, journalist, and novelist with several best-sellers. Ironic and skeptical, he was considered in his day the ideal French man of letters. He was a member of the Académie França ...

she created a set of sixteen wood engravings that were acquired for the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

print collection while the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

in New York holds a set of her prints for ''Canadian Fairy Tales'' from 1922. Foster exhibited paintings and drawings in group exhibitions throughout her career, notably at the Royal Academy in London between 1952 and 1964 and with the

Society of Women Artists The Society of Women Artists (SWA) is a British art body dedicated to celebrating and promoting fine art created by women. It was founded as the Society of Female Artists (SFA) in about 1855, offering women artists the opportunity to exhibit and ...

from 1923 to 1935. She also exhibited works with the

New English Art Club The New English Art Club (NEAC) was founded in London in 1885 as an alternative venue to the Royal Academy. It continues to hold an annual exhibition of paintings and drawings at the Mall Galleries in London, exhibiting works by both members and a ...

, at the Paris Salon and at the Art Institute of Chicago. Foster was an elected member of the

Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society The Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society was formed in London in 1887 to promote the exhibition of decorative arts alongside fine arts. The Society's exhibitions were held annually at the New Gallery (London), New Gallery from 1888 to 1890, and roug ...

and was an associate member of the

Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers The Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE), known until 1991 as the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers, is a leading art institution based in London, England. The Royal Society of Painter-Etchers, as it was originally styled, was ...

. Foster married the artist and writer Howard Dudley Jarrett in 1925 and died at

Wincanton Wincanton ( or ) is a small town and electoral ward in South Somerset, southwest England. The town lies off the A303 road, a main route between London and South West England, and has some light industry. The town and electoral ward has a populati ...

in Somerset.

Selected books illustrated

* ''The Golden Journey of Mr Paradyne'' by William John Locke * ''The Headswoman'', 1921, by

Kenneth Grahame Kenneth Grahame ( ; 8 March 1859 – 6 July 1932) was a British writer born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He is most famous for ''The Wind in the Willows'' (1908), a classic of children's literature, as well as '' The Reluctant Dragon''. Both books w ...

* ''Canadian Fairy Tales'', c. 1922, by Cyrus Macmillan * ''The Merrie Tales of Jacques Tournebroche'', 1923. by

* ''Little Sea Dogs and Other Tales'', 1925, by Anatole France * ''Lets Do It'', 1938, by Marcia Lane Foster * ''Dusty's Windmill'', 1949, by

Kitty Barne Marion Catherine "Kitty" Barne (17 November 1882 – 3 February 1961) was a British screenwriter and author of children's books, especially on music and musical themes. She won the 1940 Carnegie Medal for British children's books. Biography Ba ...

* ''Paris Adventure'', 1954, by

Viola Bayley Viola Clare Bayley (8 January 1911 – January 1997) was a British children's writer of adventure stories. Life Viola Clare Wingfield Powles was born on 8 January 1911, in Rye, Sussex. Her parents were Isabel Grace Wingfield and Lewis C ...

* ''Scottish Adventure'', 1965, by Viola Bayley

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Marcia Lane 1897 births 1983 deaths 20th-century English painters 20th-century English women artists Alumni of the Royal Academy Schools Alumni of St John's Wood Art School Alumni of the Central School of Art and Design Artists from Devon British women illustrators English illustrators English women painters People from Seaton, Devon