Pauline Baynes, the illustrator behind

• 1922-2008, illustrator of the seven Chronicles.
• Discovered thanks to Farmer Giles of Ham by J.R.R. Tolkien.
• Coloring of her drawings in 1998.

An Indian Childhood

Pauline Baynes was born on September 9, 1922 in Brighton. She spent part of her childhood in India, where her father worked as a civil servant. Upon returning to England, she studied art in Farnham and then at the Slade School of Fine Art. During the war, she drew maps and designs for the army.

Tolkien, then Lewis

In 1949, she illustrated Farmer Giles of Ham by Tolkien, who was enchanted by her drawings. Lewis, who was looking for an illustrator for The Magician's Nephew, discovered her through this book, according to the most common version. She would illustrate the seven Chronicles from 1950 to 1956.

A Pen-and-Ink Drawing

Her illustrations, initially in black and white, are intricate and full of detail, inspired by medieval manuscripts. Lewis gave her great creative freedom. Their relationship was cordial but distant: Lewis, it is said, sometimes privately criticized her lions. In 1998, she colored about 350 of her original drawings for the current editions.

A Great Career

She also drew the famous poster map of Middle-earth (1970) and received the Kate Greenaway Medal in 1968 for A Dictionary of Chivalry. She illustrated over a hundred books and died on August 1, 2008.

And on this site?

Pauline Baynes's drawings are copyrighted. Our illustrations are original creations that do not directly copy them. If you want to see Narnia through her eyes, open the books.

See also

• The seven Chronicles of Narnia
• J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis