Marion Richardson
Encyclopedia
Marion Richardson was British artist
, educator and author who published workbooks on penmanship and handwriting.
, Kent
, the second daughter of Walter Marshall Richardson and his wife, Ellen.
In the holidays, Marion’s family rented a cottage from Elizabeth Nesbitt, (the author E. Nesbit
who wrote 5 Children and It) where Marion discovered and enjoyed Ms Nesbitt's collection of books.
Marion was educated at Winchester High School for Girls, Uplands School, and Milham Ford School
in Oxford
. She trained to be an art teacher
at Birmingham Municipal School of Arts and Crafts
from 1908-1912 where she studied under Robert Catterson-Smith who influenced her future work.
. In 1915-1916 she published a drawing syllabus which was similar to the standard Board of Education
drawing programme, but within a year she began to encourage her pupils to produce work with little instruction. She developed her own child-centred methods for teaching art which encouraged self expression and allowed the pupils to evaluate their own work.
In 1917, her pupils' work was exhibited by Roger Fry
, who brought her work to public attention. Marion was also close to Roger's sister, Margery Fry
, who encouraged Marion to teach art in prisons, including Winson Green prison
in Birmingham
.
In 1923, Marion moved to London
where she took private pupils and taught voluntarily at Holloway prison. An exhibition of her Dudley pupils' artwork in London in 1923-1924 attracted much interest and created a greater demand for her work. In 1924 she visited schools and prisons with her pupils' work in Sweden
, Finland
and Russia
. In 1924 she returned to Dudley part time and lectured at the London Day Training College to trainee art teachers. She also taught at part-time at Benenden School
, Kent, and Hayes Court School, Oxford.
In 1930 she was appointed the inspector of art to the London County Council
and continued to run courses for art teachers. She toured Canada
in 1934 and in 1935 published Writing and Writing Patterns, a set of hinged cards and booklets for teaching handwriting. In 1938 she organized a large and successful exhibition of children's art at County Hall in London
.
and died on 12 November 1946. She was buried at St John's Church, Kates Hill
, Dudley on 15 November 1946.
, east London was renamed Marion Richardson School in her memory.
Her grave has recently been rediscovered by the St John's Church Preservation Group after a search was made during grounds clearance works. The grave is now being cared for by the St John's Church Preservation Group and a start has been made to forming a Marion Richardson Society. The St John's Church Preservation Group has also created a link with the Dudley Girls' High School Association to help raise Richardson's profile in the UK and around the world.
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
, educator and author who published workbooks on penmanship and handwriting.
Biography
Marion Elaine Richardson was born on 9 October 1892 in AshfordAshford, Kent
Ashford is a town in the borough of Ashford in Kent, England. In 2005 it was voted the fourth best place to live in the United Kingdom. It lies on the Great Stour river, the M20 motorway, and the South Eastern Main Line and High Speed 1 railways. Its agricultural market is one of the most...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, the second daughter of Walter Marshall Richardson and his wife, Ellen.
Education
Marion was the middle of three sisters, and apparently used to entertain the other two with stories after lights out in the bedroom which they shared. She often serialised these over many nights. She joined a story-writing group when still a child – her nom de plume was 'A Mere Girl'.In the holidays, Marion’s family rented a cottage from Elizabeth Nesbitt, (the author E. Nesbit
E. Nesbit
Edith Nesbit was an English author and poet whose children's works were published under the name of E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on over 60 books of fiction for children, several of which have been adapted for film and television...
who wrote 5 Children and It) where Marion discovered and enjoyed Ms Nesbitt's collection of books.
Marion was educated at Winchester High School for Girls, Uplands School, and Milham Ford School
Oxford Community School
Oxford Spires Academy is a state funded secondary school for children aged 11–18 in Glanville Road, East Oxford, England formerly known as Oxford Community School and The Oxford School. It is sponsored by the CfBT Education Trust....
in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. She trained to be an art teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
at Birmingham Municipal School of Arts and Crafts
Birmingham Institute of Art and Design
The Birmingham Institute of Art and Design is the largest British university art and design teaching and research centre outside London. It is a faculty of Birmingham City University and the largest, most successful department of the university.-History:BIAD dates back, in various incarnations, to...
from 1908-1912 where she studied under Robert Catterson-Smith who influenced her future work.
Teaching career
During her training she was a pupil teacher at Moseley Art School, where she also worked as a Junior Assistant Teacher. From 1912 to 1923, Marion was the art mistress at Dudley Girls High SchoolDudley Girls High School
Dudley Girls' High School was a selective higher education school which provided education for girls aged 11 to 18 years.-History:It was located in Dudley, England, and opened on 8 December 1910 near the town centre in Priory Road, 12 years after Dudley Grammar School moved to neighbouring premises...
. In 1915-1916 she published a drawing syllabus which was similar to the standard Board of Education
Board of education
A board of education or a school board or school committee is the title of the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or higher administrative level....
drawing programme, but within a year she began to encourage her pupils to produce work with little instruction. She developed her own child-centred methods for teaching art which encouraged self expression and allowed the pupils to evaluate their own work.
In 1917, her pupils' work was exhibited by Roger Fry
Roger Fry
Roger Eliot Fry was an English artist and art critic, and a member of the Bloomsbury Group. Establishing his reputation as a scholar of the Old Masters, he became an advocate of more recent developments in French painting, to which he gave the name Post-Impressionism...
, who brought her work to public attention. Marion was also close to Roger's sister, Margery Fry
Margery Fry
Margery Fry was a British prison reformer as well as one of the first women to become a magistrate.Margery Fry was born in London, the eighth child of Sir Edward Fry and his wife, Mariabella Hodgkin , who were Quakers. She was educated at home until, at the age of 17, she went to Miss Lawrence's...
, who encouraged Marion to teach art in prisons, including Winson Green prison
Birmingham (HM Prison)
HM Prison Birmingham is a Category B/C men's prison, located in the Winson Green area of Birmingham, England. The prison was formally operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service...
in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
.
In 1923, Marion moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where she took private pupils and taught voluntarily at Holloway prison. An exhibition of her Dudley pupils' artwork in London in 1923-1924 attracted much interest and created a greater demand for her work. In 1924 she visited schools and prisons with her pupils' work in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. In 1924 she returned to Dudley part time and lectured at the London Day Training College to trainee art teachers. She also taught at part-time at Benenden School
Benenden School
Benenden School is an independent boarding school for girls in Kent, England. It is located in Benenden in the Kentish countryside, between Cranbrook and Tenterden....
, Kent, and Hayes Court School, Oxford.
In 1930 she was appointed the inspector of art to the London County Council
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
and continued to run courses for art teachers. She toured Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1934 and in 1935 published Writing and Writing Patterns, a set of hinged cards and booklets for teaching handwriting. In 1938 she organized a large and successful exhibition of children's art at County Hall in London
County Hall, London
County Hall is a building in Lambeth, London, which was the headquarters of London County Council and later the Greater London Council . The building is on the bank of the River Thames, just north of Westminster Bridge, facing west toward the City of Westminster, and close to the Palace of...
.
Later life
She retired in 1942 due to her deteriorating health. In September 1945 she returned to DudleyDudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
and died on 12 November 1946. She was buried at St John's Church, Kates Hill
Kates Hill
Kates Hill is a residential area in Dudley, West Midlands, England.-History:Kates Hill was the scene of chaos in 1648 when parliamentarians used it as their base in the Civil War against King Charles I...
, Dudley on 15 November 1946.
Legacy
Her last work Art and the Child was published posthumously in 1948, and was a great success. Her influence remained after her death and her Writing and Writing Patterns was still used in schools in the 1980s. The Senrab Street School in StepneyStepney
Stepney is a district of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in London's East End that grew out of a medieval village around St Dunstan's church and the 15th century ribbon development of Mile End Road...
, east London was renamed Marion Richardson School in her memory.
Her grave has recently been rediscovered by the St John's Church Preservation Group after a search was made during grounds clearance works. The grave is now being cared for by the St John's Church Preservation Group and a start has been made to forming a Marion Richardson Society. The St John's Church Preservation Group has also created a link with the Dudley Girls' High School Association to help raise Richardson's profile in the UK and around the world.
Primary sources
The personal papers of Marion Richardson are held in the Birmingham City University Art and Design Archives.Published Sources
- Holdsworth, Bruce, (2009) 'Marion Richardson (1892–1946)'. Eds. Steve Herne (et al.) Readings in Primary Art Education, (Intellect, Bristol) ISBN 978-1-84150-242-7, pp 161–175.
- Smith, Chris, (2010) Tales From A Churchyard, St John's Church, Kates Hill, Dudley, Vol. 1, (St John's Church Preservation Group, Dudley), ISBN 978-0-9555484-2-0. Chapter 3 is devoted to the life of Marion Richardson.