Gladys Emma Peto
Encyclopedia
Gladys Emma Peto was an English
artist, fashion designer, illustrator and writer of children's books.
Peto was well-known throughout the United Kingdom
in the 1920s and '30s. Her obituary, appearing in The Times
(London) in 1977, noted that in the '30s it was the "in thing" to wear a Peto dress. Peto's advertising illustrations for infant formula, Ovaltine
and many other products were prominently featured in magazines and posters. She illustrated books for children and wrote some of the stories herself.
Peto attended Maidenhead High School and art classes in the town before heading off to London
to study at art school there. She married Cuthbert Lindsay Emmerson, of the Royal Army Medical Corps
, and with him during the 1920s she traveled with him to Malta
, Cyprus
and Egypt
. Among the most interesting Peto productions are the guide books she wrote for English "Sojourners" to those places (i.e., long-term residents). Malta and Cyprus and The Egypt of the Sojourner were published by J.M Dent in London for their Outward Bound Library.
Peto's work remains appealing now for its attractive and inventive art deco
style, clearly influenced by Aubrey Beardsley
. At its best she captures something magical of the world of childhood and cutting-edge in the world of fashion. Aside from her work, her biography is also full of interest. Though she came of age before World War I, she took a daring career path and became a successful commercial artist. Her work for the fashionable "Sketch" magazine in the teens and twenties is particularly strong. Reading Peto's works, especially her travel book on Egypt, it's clear that she played the part of Colonel's wife as much as she devoted herself to her work.
Sometime in the 1920s the Empire Annual for Australian Girls published "Poster Art Work for Girls, A Talk With Miss Gladys Peto the Well-Known Poster Artist." Peto there discusses her beginnings. Her family was not especially artistic, except for herself. As a girl in Maidenhead, she would go out "in her father's trap" and notice interesting people along the way. She would get home and sketch them. From thence to High School then Art School. After a few years learning academic techniques, she approached her various editors and publishers with her sketches expecting instant success. She didn't find it, but sold two little drawings. It was a beginning. "And [her] family's somewhat discouraging queries as to how I was going to live on that amount did not debar [her] from trying further." In keeping with the Empire Annual's mandate to offer guidance, Peto informs the interviewer that a girl with training, talent and inventiveness might well be able to make her way as a commercial artist: "there is a good living to be made from this particular type of artistic endeavor." No figures are mentioned, but it is noted that "several people are aware that this young lady, as one of the best-known depicters of "fashionable life," and a designer of posters which attract much public attention, makes an annual income which many men in very high positions might well envy."
Peto retired from commercial art in 1946 and moved with her husband, who had also retired from the army, to Northern Ireland
. She devoted her remaining years to painting landscape
s in watercolors and to drawing and cultivating flowers. She suffered a stroke
in 1970 that paralyzed her right, and dominant, hand. She continued to draw, paint and write with her left hand.
Peto's work is invariably signed "Gladys Peto" or GEP and its distinctive style makes it instantly recognizable.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
artist, fashion designer, illustrator and writer of children's books.
Peto was well-known throughout the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in the 1920s and '30s. Her obituary, appearing in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
(London) in 1977, noted that in the '30s it was the "in thing" to wear a Peto dress. Peto's advertising illustrations for infant formula, Ovaltine
Ovaltine
Ovaltine is a brand of milk flavoring product made with malt extract , sugar , cocoa, and whey...
and many other products were prominently featured in magazines and posters. She illustrated books for children and wrote some of the stories herself.
Peto attended Maidenhead High School and art classes in the town before heading off to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to study at art school there. She married Cuthbert Lindsay Emmerson, of the Royal Army Medical Corps
Royal Army Medical Corps
The Royal Army Medical Corps is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace...
, and with him during the 1920s she traveled with him to Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. Among the most interesting Peto productions are the guide books she wrote for English "Sojourners" to those places (i.e., long-term residents). Malta and Cyprus and The Egypt of the Sojourner were published by J.M Dent in London for their Outward Bound Library.
Peto's work remains appealing now for its attractive and inventive art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style, clearly influenced by Aubrey Beardsley
Aubrey Beardsley
Aubrey Vincent Beardsley was an English illustrator and author. His drawings, done in black ink and influenced by the style of Japanese woodcuts, emphasized the grotesque, the decadent, and the erotic. He was a leading figure in the Aesthetic movement which also included Oscar Wilde and James A....
. At its best she captures something magical of the world of childhood and cutting-edge in the world of fashion. Aside from her work, her biography is also full of interest. Though she came of age before World War I, she took a daring career path and became a successful commercial artist. Her work for the fashionable "Sketch" magazine in the teens and twenties is particularly strong. Reading Peto's works, especially her travel book on Egypt, it's clear that she played the part of Colonel's wife as much as she devoted herself to her work.
Sometime in the 1920s the Empire Annual for Australian Girls published "Poster Art Work for Girls, A Talk With Miss Gladys Peto the Well-Known Poster Artist." Peto there discusses her beginnings. Her family was not especially artistic, except for herself. As a girl in Maidenhead, she would go out "in her father's trap" and notice interesting people along the way. She would get home and sketch them. From thence to High School then Art School. After a few years learning academic techniques, she approached her various editors and publishers with her sketches expecting instant success. She didn't find it, but sold two little drawings. It was a beginning. "And [her] family's somewhat discouraging queries as to how I was going to live on that amount did not debar [her] from trying further." In keeping with the Empire Annual's mandate to offer guidance, Peto informs the interviewer that a girl with training, talent and inventiveness might well be able to make her way as a commercial artist: "there is a good living to be made from this particular type of artistic endeavor." No figures are mentioned, but it is noted that "several people are aware that this young lady, as one of the best-known depicters of "fashionable life," and a designer of posters which attract much public attention, makes an annual income which many men in very high positions might well envy."
Peto retired from commercial art in 1946 and moved with her husband, who had also retired from the army, to Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. She devoted her remaining years to painting landscape
Landscape art
Landscape art is a term that covers the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, and especially art where the main subject is a wide view, with its elements arranged into a coherent composition. In other works landscape backgrounds for figures can still...
s in watercolors and to drawing and cultivating flowers. She suffered a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
in 1970 that paralyzed her right, and dominant, hand. She continued to draw, paint and write with her left hand.
Peto's work is invariably signed "Gladys Peto" or GEP and its distinctive style makes it instantly recognizable.