Betty Maxey's Non Enid Blyton Work

[Eddie Muir]

Thank you for the information, Anita. Much appreciated! I’ll have a look at my copy of Journal 53 later today.

[pete9012S]

I know that Betty Maxey did some artwork for the United States Air Force Art Program and for the NASA Art Program. I've always wondered what those pieces of work were like - I don't know whether you can provide any examples of those, Pete?

I thought you'd never ask!












I know, I know, she's no Eileen Soper - but look beyond her Enid Blyton Famous Five internals and she's quite a competent artist!

[Daisy]

I would not have thought it was the same artist! These are very good.

[Eddie Muir]

Great artwork. Thanks for posting it, Pete.

[Boatbuilder]

These images make you think that the ones for the Famous Five were just done as quick doodles whilst sat on the loo.

[pete9012S]

...These are very good.

Great artwork. Thanks for posting it, Pete.

Many thanks for your encouraging remarks Daisy and Eddie.

As mentioned earlier, Betty Maxey's subject matter and style of artwork varied immensely.
Here's one you might not have expected from her.
I think we can just about show it, albeit heavily doctored here:

[Katharine]

Thanks for sharing all these pictures Pete. She is a really talented artist. The detail in some of her drawings is incredible.

These images make you think that the ones for the Famous Five were just done as quick doodles whilst sat on the loo.

Not quite how I'd have phrased it, but I agree with the sentiment.

Either she was incredibly short of time to produce the drawings for the FF books, or she was just following instructions as the style they should take.

[Boatbuilder]

Either she was incredibly short of time to produce the drawings for the FF books, or she was just following instructions as the style they should take.

Or she was being paid a pittance for them so the publishers just got what they paid for.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Wow - thanks, Pete! Those Air Force pictures reveal that Betty Maxey was a master of background detail when required - and once again the facial expressions are wonderful.

The nude is beautiful too, with the subtle colours and lighting.

These images make you think that the ones for the Famous Five were just done as quick doodles whilst sat on the loo.

As we've said, the publisher may have asked for illustrations done in a sketchy style.

Another possible consideration is pay. Years ago, I read an article by a writer who said that a magazine editor phoned her up and asked if she could write a historical fiction serial for £75. The writer replied, "Put it this way - I can certainly give you £75-worth of historical fiction" - i.e. she would come up with a serial story but for that price the historical details would be vague, with no thorough research. Naturally, lower pay meant lower quality.

Edit: I see you've just made the same point regarding pay, John (Boatbuilder).

[pete9012S]

Moving on, here's yet another example of Betty's art that shows the variety within her work:

[Anita Bensoussane]

Yes - a rougher/more textured painting technique but it still captures the essence of the individual.

[Lucky Star]

I don't suppose there are any interviews with Betty Maxey in which she spoke about her FF work are there? Unless she herself ever provided a reason then it will remain very much a mystery as to why she worked in that minimalist style for those internals. She was clearly capable of much more as the wonderful pictures in this thread show.

[Anita Bensoussane]

That sketchy sort of style was popular in children's paperbacks of the day - you see the same kind of thing by artists like Margery Gill, Peggy Fortnum, Antony Maitland and Milein Cosman. Betty Maxey's illustrations for Noel Streatfeild's Gemma books, published by Armada, are similar to her Famous Five ones, published by Knight.

[Wolfgang]

Maybe the publishers asked for sketchy illustrations because it would save them a lot of money - hardly ink, hardly work for the printing plate...
Today they frequently publish books without inner illustrations at all.

[Boatbuilder]

The nude is beautiful too, with the subtle colours and lighting.

They’re not subtle colours and lighting, Anita. They’re Pete’s attempt at censorship.