Honor C. Appleton

Honor Charlotte Appleton was a British illustrator of children’s books, born in Brighton, England, on February 4, 1879. She lived much of her life in nearby Hove and studied art at the Kensington School, Frank Calderon’s School of Animal Painting, and the Royal Academy of Arts.

Over the course of her career, she illustrated more than 150 books. Her work included stories by Charles Perrault and Hans Christian Andersen, William Blake’s Songs of Innocence, and a retelling of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland titled The Children’s Alice. She is often remembered for a delicate watercolor style well suited to childhood scenes and fairy-tale settings.

Appleton died in 1951. Her paintings were exhibited at the Royal Academy, and a memorial exhibition of her work was held at Hove Library in 1952, a sign of the affection her illustrations inspired.