E. H. Davie

Enid used many illustrators in her books. Discuss them here.
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Rob Houghton
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Re: E. H. Davie

Post by Rob Houghton »

Julie2owlsdene wrote:I think I would guess at E.H. Davie being a woman, actually. :)
Maybe she had an intriguing reason for not revealing her name! 8)
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: E. H. Davie

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Tony Summerfield wrote:Having said that E.H. Davie was a prolific illustrator for Enid Blyton I thought some might like to see where he/she comes in the longevity pecking order - the years between their first and last illustrations for Enid.

Grace Lodge 1924 - 1965 = 41 years
Hilda McGavin 1929 - 1969 = 40 years
Sylvia I. Venus 1928 - 1958 = 30 years
Dorothy M. Wheeler 1930 - 1958 = 28 years
Eileen A. Soper 1942 - 1964 = 22 years
Horace J. Knowles 1924 - 1942 = 18 years
E.H. Davie 1936 - 1952 = 16 years

You won't necessarily get these results if you search the Cave as unfortunately entries for Sunny Stories for Little Folks aren't picked up. Also the entry for Grace Lodge comes from Enid Blyton's Workbook, where Enid puts that Birn Brothers have accepted her alterations to Grace Lodge's book, but unfortunately it doesn't say which book it was!

I haven't included Rene Cloke on this list as most of her work was done some time after Enid's death, but her first work was done in Sunny Stories for Little Folks in 1931, so if I had included her she would be at the top of the list!

Do let me know if you think I have overlooked anyone. The prize for sheer quantity probably goes to Hilda McGavin who illustrated 137 magazine covers and 240 magazine stories - but this does not count the stories that she illustrated in Sunny Stories for Little Folks.
Fascinating information. When I read the Dean & Son books as a child, I was captivated by the Rene Cloke illustrations which appeared in (and on!) several volumes.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

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m238583
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The mysterious Blyton illustrator E. H. Davie

Post by m238583 »

I have recently acquired some original illustrations by E H Davie. As I am going to sell them I thought i'd do some research of my own. Who is the mysterious illustrator E H Davie?

The two signed gouache paintings are cute anthropomorphic cat pictures illustrated for postcards, for the 'London Art Agency' Shaftesbury Avenue. They are dated 1936 which ties in with Enid Blyton illustration period.

I undertook a search of the 1939 voters register for an E H Davie - illustrator and got only one search result...

Emile H Davie born 18th Feb 1895 (illustrator/Artist) Cuckfield Sussex..... MALE

Despite not being conclusive, I think this is an excellent front runner. The only other information I can find is Emile Henry Davie marriage to Violet Eva Harford 1936, Emile's death aged 66 in 1961 (Sussex) and Violet's death in 1983 (Sussex).
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Re: E. H. Davie

Post by Rob Houghton »

It certainly seems to be! I replied in more depth on the other thread - but I have always believed EH Davie to be a man and this seems to back my theory up! :D
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Re: E. H. Davie

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

A very interesting piece of information, M238583. Thanks for that. I must admit I had always thought of E. H. Davie as female (for no particular reason)!
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
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Re: E. H. Davie

Post by tix »

Recently I glanced over an attractive array of Blyton memorabilia with pictures that reeked of colour and familiarity as most displays of EB material would - and to prove this claim simply open up your copy of 'The Enid Blyton Dossier.'

The list of books and single pictures was a 'Dedication to illustrators and designers of all kinds' and this particular section deals with an artist named 'E. H. Davie.' Odd discussions on the forum speculate as to whether E. H. Davie was a he or a she, and this contributor's spiel is as follows:

"Another discovery of Daniela is this illustrator of the last century: EHDavie, of which there is nothing on the net, except that she also illustrated some books by Enid Blyton."

Perhaps there's just a tendency to imagine the artist as female by some, and a male by others. Not that it matters because the real mystery as to why I'd always thought of the illustrator as being 'male' had to be analysed.

The first books I read containing 'E. H. Davie' pictures would have been 'The Secret of Spiggy Holes,' 'The Adventurous Four,' and 'Mr. Galliano's Circus.'

'Spiggy Holes' was probably the initial bestseller perused and it merited many re-reads, but the artist didn't appear to be credited. There was just 'E. H. Davie' perceived on various illustrations.

'Adventurous Four' and 'Galliano' had the proper accreditation so the thought that E.H.Davie was a male must have come from those two books and it wasn't difficult to see why. I was about nine or ten when reading them for the first time and seeing 'Someone Davie' as the illustrator automatically conveyed to my non-discriminating mind that E. H. Davie was a man - 'Davie' being the critical factor.

In fact, like many others, I had even defined Enid Blyton as a 'man,' because in those days men did everything whilst women stayed at home and made the beds. Also, having never come across the name 'Enid' before, I had attached it to the male gender.

Curiously, the very latest spiel on the above-named list has a slight wording change:

"Another discovery is that of Daniela illustrator of the last century: EHDavie, that you do not find anything on the net, except that she has also illustrated several books of Enid Blyton."

This marginally altered version lacks a little flow.

The pictures, if they're all meant to have come from E. H. Davie's hand, seem to include a few errors. Many illustrators are recognisable by their work alone but earlier renditions of any particular artist could task the brain a little; in the examples is a depiction of Peter falling over a bush with Chinky and Mollie (holding a cat) running alongside. I can't find that picture anywhere in the first 'Wishing chair' volume and I don't think it'd be in the second, so perhaps they're from one of the Sunny Stories mags that serialised the novel. To my mind, Hilda McGavin has always been the illustrator for those characters and although her art in the second book seems slightly different in approach from the first (if you care to look), it's her all right because the name's there. Considering the fact that illustrators' styles change over the years, maybe E. H. Davie 'did' draw some of the pictures that don't look at all like the ones we know.

An example of minute alterations in artistry can be found if you glance at his images in a 1937 Sunny Stories magazine for 'Horrid Little Boy.' The delineations look a little different in technique from those adorning Blyton stories in later years.

It'd be nice to see a family photograph dragged up from some corner of the planet.

https://soloillustratori.blogspot.com/s ... .+H.+Davie" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: E. H. Davie

Post by Daisy »

Looking at the many illustrations, I still find it hard to see that the cover and frontispiece of the Secret Island are by the same artist as the internal illustrations which are definitely E.H. Davie's. Also, the initials "I M" are just visible in the bottom right corner. I also have always felt the children on the cover are far too well dressed after several months on the island!
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Re: E. H. Davie

Post by Rob Houghton »

I agree. I'm 100% sure the cover of the Secret Island isn't drawn by EH Davie - compare it to the EH Davie cover of Spiggy Holes and the Secret Mountain - not to mention the Galliano books he illustrated, or The Adventurous Four. None are the same style as the cover of The Secret Island.
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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tix
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Re: E. H. Davie

Post by tix »

The frontispiece (same as cover) has nothing on it, but if you look at the actual wrapper (bottom right) two initials are evident, so interpret those and we have the creator of an attractive picture.

Could be either IM, JM, or LM!

Jean Main?

Can't see hers or Joan May's work listed.

Janet Murray's illustrations (Teacher's Treasury) might be considered a little old fashioned and besides, her characters don't seem to align with those depicted on the cover. Same goes for L. Marchant.

IM? Don't seem to be any artists at all with those initials, which means the case might have to be handed over to that master sleuth - FT.
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Re: E. H. Davie

Post by Daisy »

tix wrote:
IM? Don't seem to be any artists at all with those initials, which means the case might have to be handed over to that master sleuth - FT.
:lol: :lol: What a good idea!
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Re: E. H. Davie

Post by Katharine »

I've just read a book dated 1924, and it lists other titles available. A couple are illustrated by 'Howard Davie', I was just wondering if this could by any chance be the same person as 'E H Davie'.

A quick Google doesn't shed much light on Howard Davie, and I felt it was difficult to see from the few examples of illustrations I spotted whether the style is the same as for The Secret Island.
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