Edith Ballinger Price

Born on April 26, 1897, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Edith Ballinger Price grew up in an artistic family and began drawing early. She studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Art Students League of New York, and the National Academy of Design, building the skills that would carry her into a long career as both an illustrator and a writer.

Price became known for children's books and magazine work, creating stories and art with a warm, playful spirit. She contributed to St. Nicholas and produced dozens of books and stories, earning a reputation for imaginative scenes and memorable characters. Her papers, preserved in library collections, show just how steadily she worked across the twentieth century.

She is also remembered for her role in Girl Scouting: sources describe her as a founder of the Brownie program in the United States, and her name remains closely tied to its early development. Price died on September 29, 1997, at the age of 100, leaving behind a body of work that joined storytelling, drawing, and a deep understanding of childhood.