To mark the 100 year anniversary of her first book, Flower Fairies of the Spring, this exhibition will feature around 45 original illustrations, with digital projections and costumes inspired by the fairies, designed by Vin Burnham. 

Explore the inspirations behind Barker’s paintings, as well as the flora and fauna featured in the work through National Museum Liverpool’s botanical collections.

First published in 1923, there were originally 170 drawings – accurate depictions of flowering plants and trees, into which are incorporated, caricature figures of fairies, designed to accompany the species drawn. The Fairies were often based on real children, from Barker’s sister’s nursery.

The Flower Fairies books by Cicely Mary Barker (1895 – 1973) are owned by the Warne Archive. Flower Fairies is a registered trademark.

Lead image: The Narcissus Fairy and the White Bindweed Fairy © The Estate of Cicely Mary Barker, 1944, 1948, 2017