Virginia Frances Sterrett was an American illustrator best known for her work for the 1928 publication of  The Arabian Nights. I have been an admirer of her brilliant illustrations for some time but knew little about her life and career prior to researching this post. Her story, it seems is something of a tragic one. Her first commission at the age of just 19 was for a 1920 publication of the work of Comtesse de Ségur; Old French Fairy Tales.

Old French Fairy Tales (click images to see full size)

Diagnosed with Tubercolosis and suffering from ill health, the following year (1921) she received her second commission for Nathaniel Hawthorn’s Tanglewood Tales.

Tanglewood Tales (click images for full size)

Plauged by deteriorating health, she only completed one further commission for Arabian Nights before her death in 1931. A tragic end for an extremely talented lady. Show me a better illustrator at work today and I will be very surprised!

There is a marvelous exhibition of her illustrations for Arabian Nights online HERE.

For more vintage, illustrated childrens books and fairy tales, click HERE, HERE or HERE.

You can see all of the colour illustrations from Old French Fairy Tales and Tanglewood Tales on FLICKR, or you can download them all in a zip file from HERE.