author
E. (Elizabeth) MacKinstry
Best known for bringing fairy tales and classic children’s stories to life with lively, imaginative art, this American illustrator also wrote books of her own. Her path to books was unusual: she first showed remarkable promise as a violinist before illness pushed her toward drawing and writing.
1 Audiobook
Puck in pasture
by E. (Elizabeth) MacKinstry
About the author
Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Elizabeth MacKinstry spent much of her youth in Paris, where she studied violin and was considered a prodigy. According to archival sources, her musical career was cut short in her teens by illness, and she later turned to art, writing, and illustration.
MacKinstry became known for children’s books filled with wit, fantasy, and decorative energy. Archival and exhibition records describe her as an American poet, sculptor, illustrator, and author, with work ranging from her own books to illustrated editions of fairy tales and other classic stories.
In later years she lived in and around Lenox, Massachusetts, and donated a large collection of illustrated books to the Lenox Library in 1949. She died on May 14, 1956, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.