Two Swanage cousins who modelled for beloved Flower Fairies™ creator Cicely Mary Barker as children have been reunited with the original artwork that featured their younger selves more than 70 years later at the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum.
Judith and Jessie, cousins from Swanage, contacted the Russell-Cotes after discovering that Flower Fairies™: Enchantment by the Sea was on display at the museum. The exhibition features original Flower Fairy artworks alongside sketches and landscapes inspired by Dorset and the south coast.
The cousins were invited to visit the exhibition, where they met members of the Russell-Cotes team and Sara Glenn, Commercial Curator at Penguin Ventures. During their visit, they saw the original painting of the Sweet Pea Fairies for the first time, on display as part of the exhibition.
As young children, Judith and Jessie modelled for Cicely Mary Barker while she was spending time in Swanage. Cicely, best known for her much-loved Flower Fairy illustrations, regularly visited the south coast and stayed on several occasions with the cousins’ Aunt Lou in Swanage.
Jessie was just a toddler at the time, while Judith was a few years older. Judith remembers spending time with Cicely at Aunt Lou’s home and posing alongside her younger cousin for the Sweet Pea Fairies illustration.
“I remember pretending to tie the bow on Jessie’s bonnet,” Judith recalled.
Unlike many of Cicely’s child models, who posed in her Croydon studio with costumes and props, Judith and Jessie were sketched in a family home in Swanage.
Family memories and correspondence suggest that Cicely Mary Barker became friends with Emma Louisa Davis (“Aunt Lou”), a renowned breeder of Buttermere Cairn Terriers. Cicely stayed at Aunt Lou’s home on Queen’s Road in Swanage on several occasions and remained in contact through letters and Christmas cards. Although it is not known exactly how the two women first met, Cicely’s well-documented affection for dogs and Aunt Lou’s success as a breeder suggest a shared interest that may have sparked a lasting friendship. Through this connection, Cicely came to know other members of the family, including cousins Jessie and Judith, who later modelled for some of her Flower Fairy illustrations.
Judith and Jessie, who both still live in Swanage today, were given signed copies of Barker’s Flower Fairy books as children, treasures they continue to cherish.
During the visit, Sara Glenn was also able to show Judith a watercolour sketch of herself from one of Barker’s original sketchbooks in the Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd. archive. The discovery has inspired the cousins to plan a future visit to London to explore more of the collection.
Helen Ivaldi, Programmes Officer at the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum, said:
“Meeting Judith and Jessie was one of those rare moments when history comes vividly to life. To hear their memories of sitting for Cicely Mary Barker and to see them reunited with the original Sweet Pea Fairies artwork after so many years were incredibly moving. Their story offers a fascinating glimpse into the real children behind some of the nation’s most beloved Flower Fairies and highlights Barker’s special connection to the Dorset coast.”
Flower Fairies™: Enchantment by the Sea features the original Sweet Pea Fairies artwork alongside more than 30 other Flower Fairy paintings. The exhibition also includes Cicely’s sketches, notebooks and landscapes depicting Swanage, Corfe Castle and other locations along the south coast that inspired her work.
The exhibition is on display at the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum until 4 October 2026.
