Early life

Grace Lydia Golden (Associate of the Royal College of Arts) was born to a working class family in east London. After her education at the City of London School for Girls, she won a scholarship to the Chelsea College of Art, where she studied from 1920-1923. She progressed from there to the Royal College of Art

Royal College of Art

The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...

, where she first studied and later taught at from 1926-1927.

Career

Her career in book illustration began in the early 1930s. She received a small legacy in 1934 which enabled her to work on exhibition pieces. Working in both watercolours and oil paint

Oil paint

Oil paint is a type of slow-drying paint that consists of particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed oil. The viscosity of the paint may be modified by the addition of a solvent such as turpentine or white spirit, and varnish may be added to increase the glossiness of the...

, she exhibited at the Royal Academy, as well as the Fine Art Society

Fine Art Society

The Fine Art Society is an art dealership with two premises, one in New Bond Street, London and the other in Edinburgh . It was formed in 1876...

 and The Leicester Gallery.

Golden received a commission from The Pilgrim Trust

Pilgrim Trust

The Pilgrim Trust is a London-based charitable trust. It was founded in 1930 by a two million pound grant by Edward Harkness, an American philanthropist. The trust's first secretary was former civil servant, Thomas Jones....

 to make illustrations of historic buildings and landmarks during the war years, as well as her work appearing in touring exhibitions.

Later, she worked for the Ministry of Information – painstakingly producing illustrations which were used to aid the reading of educational books. Posters, promoting safe working practice were produced from her illustrations, many of which were used to stress the hazards of a mixed sex workforce within wartime manufacturing environments, with slogans such as ‘Keep your mind on the job – and save your knuckles’.

Golden had always been interested in the working life of the Thames. Since she had been a child she had witnessed the lives of the industrious people who were employed near and on the river. She had witnessed much of this life from being the age of 5, when her parents had moved to a five-storey house at the City End of Southwark

Southwark

Southwark is a district of south London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated east of Charing Cross, it forms one of the oldest parts of London and fronts the River Thames to the north...

 Bridge. This fascination led to her producing her 'Old Bankside' book. Her work also frequently appeared in ‘The Swift Annual’ (1957–1961).

Years later, Sam Wanamaker

Sam Wanamaker

Samuel Wanamaker was an American film director and actor and is credited as the person most responsible for the modern recreation of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London...

, invited Golden to become an honorary archivist to the Bear Gardens Museum project.

Final years

Grace Golden died on 3 June 1993, aged 89 at the Royal Free Hospital

Royal Free Hospital

The Royal Free Hospital is a major teaching hospital in Hampstead, London, England and part of the Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust....

. She had, during her last years, become something of a recluse

Recluse

A recluse is a person who lives in voluntary seclusion from the public and society, often close to nature. The word is from the Latin recludere, which means "shut up" or "sequester." There are many potential reasons for becoming a recluse: a personal philosophy that rejects consumer society; a...

, having closed herself off from the world around her and living a life of frugality and simplicity. Her work, which was popular with many writers, including Enid Blyton

Enid Blyton

Enid Blyton was an English children's writer also known as Mary Pollock.Noted for numerous series of books based on recurring characters and designed for different age groups,her books have enjoyed huge success in many parts of the world, and have sold over 600 million copies.One of Blyton's most...

, will be remembered for its attention to detail, which now makes her work of distinctive historical value.

Some of her work is still exhibited at the Tate Gallery

Tate Gallery

The Tate is an institution that houses the United Kingdom's national collection of British Art, and International Modern and Contemporary Art...

 and National Archives. At Golders Green Crematorium

Golders Green Crematorium

Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum was the first crematorium to be opened in London, and one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. The land for the crematorium was purchased in 1900, costing £6,000, and was opened in 1902 by Sir Henry Thompson....

, London, there is a commemorative plaque

Commemorative plaque

A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other vertical surface, and bearing text in memory of an important figure or event...

to this artist and historian.

A selection of books that Grace Golden illustrated

• The Voyage of the Landship (1947)
• Towpath Pad (1951)
• Wings over Dulcia (1954)
• The Wonderful Winter (1956)