Fanny Cory

If you see this signature on a piece of art, it can only mean one thing – Fanny Cory.

Fanny Cory began her career as a comic strip artist. Early works include Sonnysayings and Little Miss Muffet. Sonnysaying – about life through a five-year-old’s eyes enjoyed syndication for thirty years, appearing in newspapers from 1926 to 1956.  

Her interest in illustration began at a very young age (as is often the case with artists). In 1896 she was accepted into the Metropolitan School of Fine Arts. It wasn’t long before finances, or the lack of, intervened, so she started to sell her work. This led to her working on covers for popular magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post and Life.  

Her brilliant glimpses into the daily lives of children and parents caught the eye of book publishers. By 1902 she’d illustrated Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, among others.

One of Ms. Cory’s longest-lasting works is The Fairy Alphabet. What began as a pleasant past-time with watercolors turned into a magnificent and magical treatment on the life of fairies. It wouldn’t be until after her death in 1972 that the book itself was published (1980), and you can still purchase copies at Riverbend Publishing.

Fanny Young Cory (October 17, 1877 – July 28, 1972)