Pemberton Ginther

Born in Philadelphia in 1869, Mary Pemberton Ginther built a creative life that spanned both writing and visual art. She studied at the Philadelphia School of Design for Women, now Moore College of Art and Design, and at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and also spent time studying in Paris. In her art career, she often used the name Pemberton Ginther.

Ginther worked in oils, pastels, and charcoal, and she also designed stained-glass windows for churches in Philadelphia and Suffolk, Virginia. She later taught art and gave talks to students in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, where she became part of the Bucks County arts community.

As an author, she is remembered for novels and series written for girls, including The Jade Necklace, Bethanne, and the Betsy Hale, Miss Pat, and Hilda books. What makes her especially interesting is how closely her talents overlapped: she was not only a novelist, but also an illustrator whose storytelling and artwork grew out of the same imagination.