“The Foolish Flamingo” (St. Nicholas, vol 14, p 434, April 1887)
by Reginald Bathurst Birch (1856-1943)
17 x 12 in., ink on board
Coppola Collection
Reginald Bathurst Birch was an English-American artist and illustrator.
From 1873 to 1881, Birch studied and worked in Europe, attending the Royal Academy in Munich and illustrating various publications in Vienna, Paris, and Rome. On his return to the United States he took up residence in New York City, where he became a magazine illustrator. His work appeared in “St. Nicholas,” “The Century,” “Harper’s,” “Life,” and “The Youth’s Companion,” among other publications. He also became a founding member of the Society of Illustrators in New York.
His first great success was his illustration of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s children’s book “Little Lord Fauntleroy” (1886, serialized in “St. Nicholas” in 1885-86), whose young protagonist’s long, curly hair and velvet and lace suit were widely imitated by mothers as a pattern of dress for their little boys. Birch’s name was indelibly associated with Burnett’s protagonist forever after, rather to the illustrator’s irritation. During the period of his initial popularity he illustrated over forty books, many of which, along with his drawings, had initially seen publication in serial form. He also provided illustrations for books by Dickens.
He produced a series of illustrated nursery rhymes for “St. Nicholas” magazine in the 1880s, including this one, featuring “The Foolish Flamingo,” a popular but anonymous tale of prideful behavior, right about the time that his landmark work on Fauntleroy was published.
Demand for Birch’s work faded after 1914, and by the 1930s he was living in poverty. His career was revived in 1933 by his illustrations for Louis Untermeyer’s “The Last Pirate,” and he went on to illustrate about twenty additional books before retiring due to failing eyesight about 1941.
As can be seen in the published version (below), the artwork was edited considerably to fit into the available space.
The editorial pencil marks for the cropping appear on the original art.
