Beyond Narnia: The Life and Legacy of Pauline Baynes
Avery Reed
Illustration (School of Graduate Studies)
About this Item
- Title
- Beyond Narnia: The Life and Legacy of Pauline Baynes
- Contributor Names
-
Reed, Avery (Author)
-
Reitschel, Barbara (Thesis advisor)
- Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York. Illustration (Degree granting institution)
- Date
- 2022
- Degree Information
- M.A. Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York 2022
- Department: Illustration
- Advisor: Barbara Reitschel
- Committee member: Brendan Leach
- Abstract
- Pauline Baynes was J.R.R. Tolkien’s illustrator-of-choice, creating the most recognized map of Middle Earth and art for his short stories. Baynes went on to illustrate C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia series, sparking the imaginations to this day of young children emersed in the woods of Narnia. While Baynes’ work is well known, her name, among both illustration professionals and Tolkien’s and Lewis’ audiences, is rarely recognized.
- How Baynes, an artist who illustrated more than two hundred books, could be so underappreciated reflects the tragic reality of a lack of recognition for the talents of female illustrators even in today’s market. It’s especially startling in this particular case, because her work is inseparable from two international best-selling series.
- Her art is noteworthy for her eye for color and composition, as well as her ability to marry historical accuracy with an author’s intent and her own robust imagination. Baynes’ body of work ranges from fantasy to history, cookbooks to religious texts, folk tales to foreign cultures. Beyond books, Baynes created illustrations for magazines and advertisements, and she even designed two stained glass windows and the largest crewel embroidery in the world.
- By researching Baynes’ six-decade-long career and interviewing those who knew her, this thesis will explore the oral history surrounding Baynes’ life and the arch of her prolific career. If both Lewis and Tolkien felt that Baynes’ work so captured their stories as to be on equal footing with the text, then we would be right to concede Pauline Baynes’ place among the greats in illustration history.
- Subject
- Baynes, Pauline
- Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973
- Lewis, C. S. (Clive Staples), 1898-1963. Chronicles of Narnia
- Illustration of books
- Rights
- In Copyright
- The copyright for this work is held by its author/creator(s). Usage of this material beyond what is permitted by copyright law must first be cleared with the rights-holder(s). This work has been made available online by the Fashion Institute of Technology Gladys Marcus Library strictly for research and educational purposes. If you are the copyright holder for this work and have any objections to this work being made available online, please notify us immediately at [email protected].
- This item must not be sold to any third party vendors.
- Identifier
- FIT Repository ID: etd_000981
- Language
- English
Citation
Reed, A. (2022). Beyond Narnia: The Life and Legacy of Pauline Baynes [Master's thesis, Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York]. FIT Institutional Repository. https://institutionalrepository.fitnyc.edu/item/179221
Reed, Avery. Beyond Narnia: The Life and Legacy of Pauline Baynes. 2022. Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York, Master's thesis. FIT Digital Repository, https://institutionalrepository.fitnyc.edu/item/179221
Reed, Avery. "Beyond Narnia: The Life and Legacy of Pauline Baynes." Master's thesis, Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York, 2022. https://institutionalrepository.fitnyc.edu/item/179221