Virginia Frances Sterrett
Virginia Frances Sterrett was an American artist and illustrator who lived from 1900 to 1931. She came to prominence for her art nouveau styled fairy tale illustrations. Her art is known for its delicate lines and tender, fanciful imagery. Her work is reminiscent of childhood daydreams, depicting far off magical lands one can only dream of.
Sterrett was born in Chicago. Her father died when she was a toddler, and she, her sister, and her mother moved to Missouri to be with her mother’s family. Sterrett drew from an early age, with some reports stating as early two years old! She would spend her free time daydreaming and drawing rather than socializing with peers.
As a teenager, Sterrett won several awards for her drawings at the Kansas State Fair. Her work was brought to the attention of the Art Institute of Chicago, who awarded her a full scholarship if she would enter their institution after high school, which she did. Sterrett attended art school for one year. In the beginning of the second year, her mother became very ill, so Virginia dropped out of school to support her family.
At 19 years old, Sterrett was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Her health declined and she went to live at a sanitarium where she was essentially bedridden. A friend of Sterrett’s brought her illustrations to the Chicago Book Fair, which landed Virginia her first book commission. The Penn Publishing Company from Philadelphia commissioned Sterrett to create illustrations for their publication of Old French Fairy Tales. Old French Fairy Tales is a collection of five longer length stories written by Sophie Rostopchine, who interestingly didn’t begin writing until the age of 58. Penn allowed Sterrett to illustrate whatever passages she chose, giving her immense artistic freedom. She made the illustrations from her bed in the sanitarium and the money helped sustain her family. The book was a large format illustrated book with simple stories meant as gifts for children and was very well-received.
After the success Old French Fairy Tales, the Penn Publishing Company commissioned a second book from Sterrett, Tanglewood Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne. This 1921 publication was a retelling of ancient Greek myths. It was published in the same format as her first book.
In 1923, Sterrett’s health declined, so she and her family moved to Altadena in Southern California in an effort to improve her health. This briefly seemed to work, and she continued to work, illustrating from the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. Unfortunately, Sterrett soon became ill and again moved into a sanitarium. In 1925, the Penn Publishing Company commissioned illustrations for a planned publication of Arabian Nights. Sterrett could only work for short periods of time due to her failing health, and it took her three years to finish her work. In 1928, Arabian Nights was published and became a huge success for Sterrett. Today, she most remembered for her illustrations from this publication.
Sterrett’s health briefly improved when she was 29 and she became productive and involved in the local art scene. She exhibited her work at the AI Gallery space Pasadena, at Little Gallery in Monrovia, and at both the California State Fair and Los Angeles County Fair. By this time, her work was getting noticed, and collectors began purchasing her original drawings.
In 1930, Sterrett accepted her last commission from the Penn Publishing Company, Myths and Legends. Unfortunately, she died before she was able to finish the project. Virgina Frances Sterrett died in 1931, succumbing to the tuberculosis she lived with for 11 years. She was just 30.
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