GREENAWAY, KATE (1846-1900, English artist and book illustrator, was the daughter of John Greenaway, a well known draughtsman and engraver on wood, and was born in London on March 17, 1846. After a course of study at South Kensington, at "Heatherley's" life classes, and at the Slade School, Kate Greenaway began, in 1868, to exhibit water-colour draw ings at the Dudley gallery, London. Her illustrations for children (e.g., for Little Folks, 1873, et seq.) attracted much attention. In 1877 she began to draw for the Illustrated London News. In the year 1879 she produced Under the Window, of which 150,000 copies are said to have been sold, and of which French and Ger man editions were also issued.
Then followed The Birthday Book, Mother Goose, Little Ann, and other books for children, which had an enormous success and are now very highly valued. "Toy-books" though they were, these little works created a revolution in book illustration ; they were praised by John Ruskin (Art of England and Fors Clavigera), by Ernest Chesneau and Arsene Alexandre in France, by Dr. Muther in Germany, and by leading art critics throughout the world. In 1890 Kate Greenaway was elected a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours, and in 1891, and 1898 she exhibited water-colour drawings, including illustra tions for her books, at the gallery of the Fine Art Society (by which a representative selection was exhibited in 1902). Kate Greenaway's use of the quaint costume of the beginning of the 19th century lent humour to her fancy, and so captivated the public taste that it has been said that "Kate Greenaway dressed the children of two continents." From 1883 to 1897, with a break only in 1896, she issued a series of Kate Greenaway's Almanacs. Although she illustrated The Pied Piper of Hamelin and other works, the artist preferred to provide her own text ; the numerous verses which were found among her papers after her death show real talent. She had great charm of character, but was extremely shy of public notice, and not less modest in private life. She died at Hampstead on Nov. 6, 1901.
See M. H. Spielmann and G. S. Layard, Life of Kate Greenaway