Pixie O'Harris
Encyclopedia
Pixie O'Harris MBE (15 October 1903 – 17 April 1991), was a Welsh
-born Australia
n artist, newspaper, magazine and book illustrator, author, broadcaster, caricaturist and cartoonist, designer of book plates, sheet music covers and stationery, and children's hospital ward fairy-style mural painter. She became patron to Sydney’s Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children
in 1977.
, Wales
, and Rosetta Elizabeth Harris (née Lucas). She was the fifth of nine children (one of whom was Cromwell, the father of Rolf Harris
, making her Rolf Harris's aunt).
She was educated at Sully
village school and Allensbank Girl's School in Cardiff. At age 14 she was a member of the South West Art Society. The Harris family migrated to Australia in 1920 and settled in Perth before moving to Sydney in 1921.
She originally produced her professional work under the name "Pixie O. Harris"; however, following a printer's error at the Sydney Morning Herald
, which printed her name as Pixie O'Harris, she permanently used that pseudonym
.
, and the eldest brother of artist Douglas Pratt. The couple had three daughters.
. In 1976 she was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire
(MBE). The following year she was awarded the Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal
.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
-born Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n artist, newspaper, magazine and book illustrator, author, broadcaster, caricaturist and cartoonist, designer of book plates, sheet music covers and stationery, and children's hospital ward fairy-style mural painter. She became patron to Sydney’s Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children
Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children
The Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children is a children's hospital in Sydney, Australia. The Hospital was founded in 1880 as "The Sydney Hospital for Sick Children"...
in 1977.
Early life
Rhona Olive Harris was the daughter of George Frederick Harris, chairman of the Royal Art Society CardiffCardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, and Rosetta Elizabeth Harris (née Lucas). She was the fifth of nine children (one of whom was Cromwell, the father of Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris, CBE, AM is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter, composer, painter and television personality.Born in Perth, Western Australia, Harris was a champion swimmer before studying art. He moved to England in 1952, where he started to appear on television programmes on which he drew the...
, making her Rolf Harris's aunt).
She was educated at Sully
Sully, Vale of Glamorgan
Sully is a village in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales lying on the northern coast of the Bristol Channel, midway between the towns of Penarth and Barry and 7 miles southwest of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff.-Medieval Sully:...
village school and Allensbank Girl's School in Cardiff. At age 14 she was a member of the South West Art Society. The Harris family migrated to Australia in 1920 and settled in Perth before moving to Sydney in 1921.
Pixie O'Harris
Disliking her given name Rhona, and having been dubbed "the Welsh pixie" on the boat over to Australia, she became known as "Pixie".She originally produced her professional work under the name "Pixie O. Harris"; however, following a printer's error at the Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
, which printed her name as Pixie O'Harris, she permanently used that pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
.
Family
On 16 July 1928 she married Bruce Pratt, the son of eminent scholar and important Congregational minister, Frederick Vicary Pratt (1870–1932) and Agnes Elizabeth Pratt (1872-?) née Waddell. He was also the editor of the Australian EncyclopaediaAustralian Encyclopaedia
The Australian Encyclopedia is an encyclopedia focused on Australia. In addition to biographies of notable Australians the coverage includes the geology, flora, fauna as well as the history of the continent. It was first published by Angus and Robertson in two volumes, one each in 1925 and 1926...
, and the eldest brother of artist Douglas Pratt. The couple had three daughters.
Honours
In 1953 Pixie O'Harris was awarded the Queen's Coronation MedalQueen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal
The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal made to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.-Issue:For Coronation and Jubilee medals, the practice up until 1977 was that United Kingdom authorities decided on a total number to be produced, then allocated a proportion to...
. In 1976 she was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(MBE). The following year she was awarded the Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal
Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal
The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 1977 to mark the 25th anniversary of the accession to the throne of Queen Elizabeth II...
.
Written by Pixie O'Harris
- 1983, Was It Yesterday? The Autobiography of Pixie O'Harris, Rigby, Australia.
- 1986, Our Small Safe World: Recollections of a Welsh Childhood, Boobook Publications, Sydney, NSW.
Poetry (or lyrics) by Pixie O'Harris
- 1944, Where the Waterfall Leaps in the Gully, (music by Dorothy R. Mathlin), D. Davis & Co., Sydney, NSW.
- 1945, Pixie O'Harris Songs for Children, (music by Dorothy R. Mathlin), D. Davis & Co., Sydney, NSW.
- 1945, Where the Winding Wollondilly Flows, (music by Dorothy R. Mathlin), D. Davis & Co., Sydney, NSW.
- 1957, The Town of Flowers, Arthur H. Stockwell, Devon, UK.
- 1972, The Hunter: a Two-Part Song, (music by Colin J. Jenkins), Allans MusicAllans MusicAllans Music is a chain of music stores in Australia. It sells all categories of musical instruments, instrument accessories and sheet music.-History:...
, Melbourne, VIC.
Written and illustrated by Pixie O'Harris
- 1923, The O.K. Fairy Book: New Rhymes and Pictures for Kiddies Only, Weston Co., Sydney, NSW.
- 1935, Pearl Pinkie and Sea Greenie: the Story of Two Little Rock-Sprites, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, NSW.
- 1940, The Pixie O'Harris Story Book, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, NSW.
- 1941, The Babes in the Wood, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood (3 Vols.), New Century Press, Sydney, NSW.
- 1941, The Fortunes of Poppy Treloar, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, NSW.
- 1942, Marmaduke the Possum, Angus and Robertson, Sydney, NSW.
- 1943, Goolara: Daughter of the Billabong, Currawong, Sydney, NSW.
- 1943, Rondel the Fair, Currawong, Sydney, NSW.
- 1943, The Story of Our Baby, New Century Press, Sydney, NSW.
- 1944, Rocks of Han: a Fairy Story, Currawong, Sydney, NSW.
- 1944, Poppy and the Gems, Currawong, Sydney, NSW.
- 1945, Pixie O'Harris Songs for Children, Davis, Sydney, NSW.
- 1945, The Fairy Who Wouldn't Fly, Marchant & Co., Sydney, NSW.
- 1946, Princess of China, Currawong Publishing, Sydney, NSW.
- 1947, Poppy Faces the World, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, NSW.
- 1950, Pixie O'Harris Gift Book, Dymock's, Sydney, NSW.
- 1953, Marmaduke and Margaret, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, NSW.
- 1977, Marmaduke the Possum In the Cave of the Gnomes, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, NSW.
- 1977, Birthday Book, Angus and Robertson, Sydney, NSW.
- 1978, The Teddy Bear's Pinic, Golden Press, Sydney, NSW.
- 1978, The Bunny Who Lost his Tail and The Giant's Eiderdown, Golden Press, Sydney, NSW.
- 1979, The Kangaroo Who Couldn't Hop and the Cloud Wallaby, Golden Press Sydney, NSW.
- 1980, The Pixie O'Harris Treasury of Animal Verse, Golden Press, Sydney, NSW.
- 1980, Trailing Echoes, (publisher not known), Sydney, NSW.
- 1981, The Pixie O'Harris Nursery Rhyme Book, David Ell, Sydney, NSW.
- 1982, The Little Grey Mouse and her Friends, Golden Press, Sydney, NSW.
- 1985, A Cavalcade of Cats, Methuen, Sydney, NSW.
- 1985, Loveleaves the Koala, Methuen, Sydney, NSW.
- 1988, Loveleaves Returns to the Bush, Dent, Australia.
Works illustrated by Pixie O'Harris
- Bedford, Ruth, 1934, Hundreds and Thousands, Dymock's, Sydney, NSW.
- Boughton, Joy, 1981, This Roundabout, J. Boughton, Vaucluse, NSW (Illustrated by Pixie O'Harris & Joseph H. Arman).
- Carroll, LewisLewis CarrollCharles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
, 1990, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, (125th Birthday Edition)Alice's Adventures in WonderlandAlice's Adventures in Wonderland is an 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It tells of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures...
, Carroll Foundation, Melbourne, VIC. - Cope, Gwen, 1936, Fairy Verse for Little Folk, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, NSW.
- Cope, Gwen, 1937, Under the Joy of the Sky, and Other Verses, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, NSW.
- Davison, Frank DalbyFrank Dalby DavisonFrank Dalby Davison , also known as F.D. Davison and Freddie Davison, was an Australian novelist and short story writer...
, 1936, Children of the Dark People: an Australian Story for Young Folk, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, NSW. - Grahame, KennethKenneth GrahameKenneth Grahame was a Scottish writer, most famous for The Wind in the Willows , one of the classics of children's literature. He also wrote The Reluctant Dragon; both books were later adapted into Disney films....
, 1985, The Wind in the WillowsThe Wind in the WillowsThe Wind in the Willows is a classic of children's literature by Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. Alternately slow moving and fast paced, it focuses on four anthropomorphised animal characters in a pastoral version of England...
, Rigby Ltd, Adelaide, SA. - Griffiths, Lexie, 1945, Between Ourselves, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, NSW.
- Hemphill, Rosemary, 1959, Fragrance and Flavour: the Growing and Use of Herbs, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, NSW.
- Higgins, Kathleen, 1938, Betty in Bushland, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, NSW.
- Lister, Gladys, 1938, Little Round Garden, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, NSW.
- Lister, Gladys, 1939, Little Round House, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, NSW.
- Lister, Gladys, 1946, The House that Beckons, New Century Press, Sydney, NSW.
- Liston, Maud Renner, 1982, Cinderella's Party: A Fairy Story, Rigby Ltd, Adelaide, SA.
- Littlejohn, Agnes. 1924, The Lost Emerald and Other Stories, Edwards Dunlop, Sydney, NSW.
- Merrick, Frances, 1975, The Children's Bar Reading Book, Mrs. Frances Merrick, Roseville, NSW.
- Park, Margaret Robertson, 1940, The Secret Joy: Poems, Jackson & O'Sullivan, Brisbane, QLD.
- Pender, Lydia, 1958, Marbles in My Pocket, Writers' Press, Sydney, NSW.
- Randell, Beverley, 1969, The Baby, Kea Press, Wellington, NZ.
- Rice, Esmée, 1948, The Secret Family, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, NSW.
- Rothenberger, L. (ed.), 1968, More Star Spangled Cooking: With The American Women's Club of the American Society, Sydney, Australia, American Society, Sydney, NSW.
- Sabine, Jo, 1941, The Pillow Pat Poems, J.Sabine, Grafton, NSW.
- Tombs, John, 1945, Apple Cottage, and the Lost Key, Offset Printing Company, Sydney, NSW.
- She also illustrated stories and articles appearing in the School MagazineSchool MagazineThe School Magazine is a literary magazine for children which has been published continuously by the New South Wales Department of Education and Communities in its many incarnations since 1916...
published by the NSW Department of Education. The issues of February, April and July 1947 contain examples.
External links
- Australian Women Biographical entry: O'Harris, Pixie (1903-1991)
- The Pixie O'Harris Award for "distinguished and dedicated service to the development and reputation of Australian children’s books" (Australian Publishers Association) http://www.publishers.asn.au/awards.cfm?doc_id=330
- Papers of Pixie O'Harris, n.d., Lu Rees Archives of Australian Children's Literature, University of CanberraUniversity of CanberraOver the years the Stone Day program has gradually become larger and larger, taking up a whole week and now Stonefest is one of Australia's most popular music festivals. The first foundation celebrations were held in 1971. In 1973 Stone Day celebrations were held over two days, which was expanded...
- Papers of Ray Mathew, 1945-2001, National Library of AustraliaNational Library of AustraliaThe National Library of Australia is the largest reference library of Australia, responsible under the terms of the National Library Act for "maintaining and developing a national collection of library material, including a comprehensive collection of library material relating to Australia and the...
containing papers of Pixie O'Harris