Barbara Brown, Illustrator of the Jane Austen 1975 Commemorative Stamps

Barbara Brown was born in Surrey, and lived and works in London.  She attended Hornsey College of Arts and Crafts, and then  the Royal College of Art where she studied graphic design and book illustration.She was well-known as an illustrator of children books and also undertook designs for Halcyon Days enamels under the stewardship of Susan Benjamin. In 1970 Halcyon Days revised the art of enamelling these delightful “toys”  -mostly small boxes for comfits or snuff. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries these boxes  had been made at Bilston in the West Midlands or in Battersea. Mrs Benjamin had been an antiques dealer specialising in collecting and selling these boxes for some years,selling her wares form her delightful shop in Mayfair. She decided to revive the art,due to demand for the items, commissioning many special pieces from favoured artists. Here is one of Barbara Brown’s designs for her, which illustrated the children’s nursery rhyme, Oranges and Lemons. Read more http://austenonly.com/