Ethel Franklin Betts Bains (September 6, 1877 – October 9, 1959) was an American illustrator primarily of children's books during the golden age of American illustration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Early life and education

Betts was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

on September 6, 1877, the daughter of the physician Thomas Betts and Alice Whelan. She was the younger sister of the illustrator

Anna Whelan Betts Anna Whelan Betts (May 15, 1873 – February 6, 1959) was an American illustrator and art teacher who was noted for her paintings of Victorian women in romantic settings. Betts is considered one of the primary artists of the golden age of Ame ...

. Betts studied at the

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

in Philadelphia, with the noted illustrator

Howard Pyle Howard Pyle (March 5, 1853 – November 9, 1911) was an American illustrator and author, primarily of books for young people. He was a native of Wilmington, Delaware, and he spent the last year of his life in Florence, Italy. In 1894, he began ...

at Drexel Institute, now Drexel University, and then at the Howard Pyle School in nearby

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington (Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

Career

Betts first gained work illustrating magazines including '' St. Nicholas Magazine'', ''

McClure's ''McClure's'' or ''McClure's Magazine'' (1893–1929) was an American illustrated monthly periodical popular at the turn of the 20th century. The magazine is credited with having started the tradition of muckraking journalism ( investigative, wa ...

'', and '' Collier's''. Beginning in 1904, she was commissioned to illustrate several books including

James Whitcomb Riley James Whitcomb Riley (October 7, 1849 – July 22, 1916) was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry. His ...

's '' The Raggedy Man'', ''While the Heart Beats Young'', and

Frances Hodgson Burnett Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett (24 November 1849 – 29 October 1924) was a British-American novelist and playwright. She is best known for the three children's novels ''Little Lord Fauntleroy'' (published in 1885–1886), '' A Little ...

's ''

A Little Princess ''A Little Princess'' is a children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, first published as a book in 1905. It is an expanded version of the short story "Sara Crewe: or, What Happened at Miss Minchin's", which was serialized in ''St. Nicholas Ma ...

''. Betts commercial work declined after her marriage to Edward Bains in 1909, occasionally creating cover art for magazines such as '' House & Garden'', but she continued to exhibit her portfolio. She received a bronze medal for her illustration of ''

The Six Swans "The Six Swans" (German: ''Die sechs Schwäne'') is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in ''Grimm's Fairy Tales'' in 1812 (KHM 49). It is of Aarne–Thompson type 451 ("The Maiden Who Seeks Her Brothers"), commonly found throu ...

'' at the 1915

Panama–Pacific International Exposition The Panama–Pacific International Exposition was a world's fair held in San Francisco, California, United States, from February 20 to December 4, 1915. Its stated purpose was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, but it was widely s ...

. Along with

Jessie Willcox Smith Jessie Willcox Smith (September 6, 1863 – May 3, 1935) was an American illustrator during the Golden Age of American illustration. She was considered "one of the greatest pure illustrators". A contributor to books and magazines during the lat ...

and Sarah Stilwell Weber, Betts was one of the "familiar" magazine and book illustrators in the early 20th century.

Death

Betts died at her home in Philadelphia on October 9, 1959. She was buried at Solebury Friends Cemetery in

Solebury, Pennsylvania Solebury is an unincorporated community in Solebury Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. Solebury is located at the intersection of Pennsylvania Route 263 Pennsylvania Route 263 (PA 263) is a north–south stat ...

Selected works

Orphant Annie – While the Heart Beats Young

*1901 -- ''Captain Ravenshaw, or, The Maid of Cheapside : a Romance of Elizabethan London'', Robert Neilson Stephens; L.C. Page & Company *1903 -- ''Kings & Queens : Being the Poetical Works of Beulah, Belinda, John and David'', Florence Wilkinson Evans; McClure, Phillips & Company *1904 -- '' Babes in Toyland'',

Glen MacDonough Glen MacDonough (1870 – March 30, 1924) was an American writer, lyricist and librettist. He was the son of theater manager Thomas B. MacDonough and actress/author Laura Don. Glen MacDonough married Margaret Jefferson in 1896 in Buzzard's Bay, ...

and Anna Alice Chapin; Fox, Duffield and Company *1904 -- ''The Little Grey House'',

Marion Ames Taggart Marion Ames Taggart (1866-1945) was an American writer of verses, stories, and Catholic literature. Taggart wrote for many secular and Catholic publications, and most of her writing was for children. Biography Marion Ames Taggart was born in Ha ...

; McClure, Phillips & Company *1905 -- '' A Little Princess : Being the Whole Story of Sara Crewe, Now Told for the First Time'', Frances Hodgson Burnett; Charles Scribner's Sons. *1905 -- ''The Heart of Lady Anne'', Agnes Castle and

Egerton Castle __NOTOC__ Egerton Castle M.A., F.S.A. (12 March 1858 – 16 September 1920) was an author, antiquarian, and swordsman, and an early practitioner of reconstructed historical fencing, frequently in collaboration with his colleague Captain Alfred ...

; F.A. Stokes Co. *1905 -- ''The True Story of Humpty Dumpty, How He was Rescued by Three Mortal Children in Make Believe Land'', Anna Alice Chapin; Dodd, Mead & Co. *1906 -- ''Mother Goose: Favorite Nursery Rhymes'', Ethel Franklin Betts; F.A. Stokes Co. *1906 -- ''The Runaway Boy'', James Whitcomb Riley;

Bobbs-Merrill Company The Bobbs-Merrill Company was a book publisher located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Company history The company began in 1850 October 3 when Samuel Merrill bought an Indianapolis bookstore and entered the publishing business. After his death in ...

*1906 -- ''While the Heart Beats Young'',

; Bobbs-Merrill Company. *1907 -- '' The Raggedy Man'', James Whitcomb Riley; Bobbs Merrill Company. *1908 -- '' The Orphan Annie book'', James Whitcomb Riley; Bobbs-Merrill Company *1909 -- '' Fairy tales from Grimm'', Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm; E. Stern & Co. *1909 -- ''The Complete Mother Goose with Illustrations in Colors and in Black and White'' Ethel Franklin Betts

References

External links

* *
Ethel F. Bains on Findagrave.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Betts, Ethel Franklin American women illustrators American illustrators Artists from Philadelphia Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts alumni 1877 births 1959 deaths Drexel University alumni Burials in Pennsylvania