Ernest H. Shepard was born in 1879 in London. His father was an
architect and his mother who died when he was ten years old was the
daughter of a notable watercolorist. It was she who first
encouraged young Ernest to paint and draw. Art became Ernest's
passion, and after attending Heatherly's Art School and the Royal
Acadamy Schools, Shepard supported himself by drawing for the
illustrated papers and by illustrating books.
In 1903, Shepard married Florence Chaplin. Florence was a mural
painter and fellow student at the Academy. The Shepards had two
children: Graham, who was killed in World War II, and Mary, who
later illustrated Mary L. Travers Mary Poppins books.
When World War I broke out, Shepard served in France, Belgium, and
Italy, attaining the rank of Major. On his return to England, he
continued with his art. He became a regular contributor to Punch,
the classic British humor magazine, where he met A. A. Milne, a man
who was to be instrumental to his career. Shepard was elected to
the editorial board of Punch, and shortly thereafter, he agreed to
do the illustrations for Milne's first book of verse, When We Were
Very Young.
The illustrations that Shepard created for all four of the Pooh
books received worldwide acclaim. For the next thirty years, he
continued to illustrate books for both adults and children. In
1973, for the first time, he added color to his drawings for
Winnie-the-Pooh. Shepard ultimately donated several hundred
drawings to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Ernest H. Shepard continued to pursue his love of drawing until his
death in 1976.
copyright 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. All
rights reserved.
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