Person    | Female  Born 28/1/1874  Died 15/3/1948

Mary Tourtel

Categories: Art, Children, Literature

Author and artist. Born Mary Caldwell. She studied art and became a children's book illustrator. Her husband Herbert Tourtel, was news editor of the Daily Express. In 1920 the newspaper was looking to produce a comic strip as competition for those in other daily papers. Tourtel suggested his wife, and Rupert Bear was born. In later years, after her eyesight started fading, the illustrations were taken over by Alfred Bestall.

There are two other plaques for her in Canterbury.

Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Mary Tourtel

Commemorated ati

Mary Tourtel

{Above an image of Rupert Bear:} Mary Tourtel, 1874 - 1948, creator of Rupert...

Read More

Other Subjects

William Cleverly Alexander

William Cleverly Alexander

A wealthy banker and art collector, who bought Aubrey House in 1873 for about £15,000. He was an important patron of Whistler. He died when he fell down the stairs of his country home Heathfield Ho...

Person, Art, Benefactor

1 memorial
George Bunting

George Bunting

From Orra: “George, an engineer by profession, was an easy-going, pipe smoking and puckish ‘mein host’.  His auburn close-cropped hair and goatee made him instantly recognizable, and his infectious...

Person, Art, Community / Clubs, India

1 memorial
William Ranwell

William Ranwell

Artist. Much of his work is of river scenes in east London, documenting navy shipbuilding, and dock construction. We can't find a picture of him, so have used his painting of the launch of H.M.S. T...

Person, Art

1 memorial
Stephen Barkway
1 memorial
George Tinworth

George Tinworth

Ceramic artist. Born 6 Milk Street, SE5. The whole area has been rebuilt but Milk Street used to run parallel to Red Lion Row, just to the east. From Mapping of Sculpture: "... enrolled at Lambeth...

Person, Art, Craft / Design

4 memorials