About
Marcia Lane Foster (Nellie Marcia Lane Foster, 1897-1983) was born in Devon, and studied art at St John’s Wood School of Art, the Royal Academy, and printmaking at the Central School of Arts and Crafts.
She studied wood engraving with Noel Rooke, who encouraged her to submit her designs for commercial work. She produced commercial art for companies like Clydella.
She was a prolific illustrator, mostly for children’s books, though she did designs for Kenneth Grahame’s The Headswoman (1921). Her work for children’s authors included Pamela Brown’s later works, and Viola Bayley’s lengthy Adventure series, but her work in the pony book genre was unfortunately small. I love the way she includes the spine of the book in her jacket designs, particularly for Christine Pullein-Thompson’s We Hunted Hounds, where the hounds are seen galloping along the spine, with the rest of the field on the front. I also like her use of white to delineate in Mary de la Mahotiére’s Round-up On Exmoor.
She wrote a few books, which appear to be early readers, all written for Humphrey Milord and the Oxford University Press, and all published in the 1920s. Her Let’s Do It (1938) is a collection of her sketches, and includes a section on the Pony Club.
Links and sources
Examples of Marcia Lane Foster’s work at The Met
University of the Arts (UAL) on Marcia Lane Foster
Finding the books
All the pony books she illustrated are easy to find.
Bibliography
PONY BOOKS ILLUSTRATED BY MARCIA LANE FOSTER
Christine Pullein-Thompson: We Hunted Hounds
Collins, London, 1949
Kitty Barne: Rosina and Son
Evans, London, 1956
Mary de la Mahotiere: Round Up on Exmoor
Lutterworth, London, 1961
Gillian Baxter: The Team from Low Moor
Evans, London, 1965
WRITTEN & ILLUSTRATED BY MARCIA LANE FOSTER
Baa-Baa
Humphrey Milord, OUP, 1926
Gee-Gee
Humphrey Milord, OUP, 1926
Moo-Moo
Humphrey Milord, OUP, 1926
Let’s Do It: Sketches of Children etc.
Collins, 1938
CHILDREN’S BOOKS ILLUSTRATED BY MARCIA LANE FOSTER
Kenneth Grahame: The Headswoman
John Lane, London, 1921
Cyrus Macmillan: Canadian Fairy Tales
John Lane, London, 1922
Anatole France: The Merrie Tales of Jacques Tournebroche
John Lane, 1923
Netta Syrett: Tinkelly Winkle
John Lane, 1923
William Locke: The Golden Journey of Mr Paradine
John Lane, 1924
Anatole France: Little Sea Dogs
John Lane, 1925
Lucy Diamond: Farmyard Friends
OUP, 1926
Mabel Carey: The Everyday Books for Children
Dent, 1937-1943
Roger Noakes: The Valley In the Woods
Dent, 1945
Noel Streatfeild: The Children of Primrose Lane
Collins, London, 1947
Kitty Barne: Dusty’s Windmill
Dent, London, 1949
Pamela Brown: To Be A Ballerina
Nelson, London, 1950
James Kinross: Blackfoot Lagoon
Gryphon Books, London, 1950
Pamela Brown: Family Playbill
Nelson, London, 1951
Pamela Brown: The Television Twins
Nelson, London, 1952
Kitty Barne: Barbie
Dent, London, 1952
Lane Mitchell: Code Word Bontry
Blackie, London, 1953
Pamela Brown: Harlequin Corner
Nelson, London, 1953
Malcolm Saville: The Ambermere Treasure
Lutterworth, London, 1953
Margaret Baker: Lions in the Potting Shed
Brockhampton, Leicester, 1954
Pamela Brown: The Windmill Family
Nelson, London, 1954
Viola Bayley: Paris Adventure
Dent, London, 1954
Viola Bayley: Lebanon Adventure
Dent, London, 1955
Margaret Baker: Acorns and Aerials
Brockhampton, 1956
Viola Bayley: Kashmir Adventure
Dent, London, 1956
Pamela Whitlock [Ed]: The Open Book
Collins, London, 1956
Viola Bayley: Corsican Adventure
Dent, London, 1957
Mabel Carey: Nicky Goes Ashore
Dent, London, 1957
Viola Bayley: Turkish Adventure
Dent, London, 1957
William Mayne: Underground Alley
OUP, Oxford, 1958
Viola Bayley: The Shadow on the Wall
Dent, London, 1958
Caroll Rankin: Dandelion Cottage
Evans, London, 1958
Hilda Sinopy: Family Goldrush
Dent, London, 1959
Eleanor Spence: The Summer Inbetween
OUP, Oxford, 1959
Viola Bayley: Swedish Adventure
Dent, London, 1959
Enid Blyton: Happy Day Stories
Evans, London, 1960
Viola Bayley: Mission on the Moor
Dent, London, 1960
Frederick Le Grice: Jill is a Bridesmaid
Church Information Centre, 1960
Hilda Sinopy: Both Sides of the Medal
Dent, London, 1960
Lorna Hill: The Vicarage Children
Evans Bros, London, 1961
A Pink Robin Story Book
Longacre Press, 1961
Viola Bayley: London Adventure
Dent, London, 1962
Gladys Plummer: My Bible Story
Longmans, 1963
John Griffiths: Griff and Tommy and the Golden Image
Dent, London, 1964
Viola Bayley: Italian Adventure
Dent, London, 1964
Viola Bayley: Scottish Adventure
Dent, London, 1965
Viola Bayley: Welsh Adventure
Dent, London, 1966
Gladys Plummer: Long Live the King
Longmans, 1966
Viola Bayley: Austrian Adventure
Dent, London, 1968
OTHER BOOKS ILLUSTRATED BY MARCIA LANE FOSTER
Godfrey Winn: A Crown for Hope
National Spastics Society, London, 1956
Peter & Sylvia Duncan: How to be a Better Parent
Evans, London, 1955