Person    | Female  Born 28/1/1874  Died 15/3/1948

Mary Tourtel

Categories: Art, Children, Literature

Author and artist. Born Mary Caldwell. She studied art and became a children's book illustrator. Her husband Herbert Tourtel, was news editor of the Daily Express. In 1920 the newspaper was looking to produce a comic strip as competition for those in other daily papers. Tourtel suggested his wife, and Rupert Bear was born. In later years, after her eyesight started fading, the illustrations were taken over by Alfred Bestall.

There are two other plaques for her in Canterbury.

Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Mary Tourtel

Commemorated ati

Mary Tourtel

{Above an image of Rupert Bear:} Mary Tourtel, 1874 - 1948, creator of Rupert...

Read More

Other Subjects

Antonio Canaletto

Antonio Canaletto

Venetian painter.  When the supply of Grand Tourists coming to Venice and buying his paintings dried up due to war, Canaletto decided to come to England.  He arrived in 1746 and stayed until 1755, ...

Person, Art, Seriously Famous, Italy

4 memorials
Chris Ratcliffe

Chris Ratcliffe

Graphic designer and teacher.

Person, Art, Education

1 memorial
Sir Joshua Reynolds

Sir Joshua Reynolds

Born in Plympton, Devonshire. Came to London in 1753. As a student of Italian art, his work became increasingly classical under the influence of the Bolognese school. In 1768 he was elected the fir...

Person, Art

15 memorials
Henry Krokatsis

Henry Krokatsis

Born and works in London.

Person, Art

2 memorials
John Hungerford Pollen

John Hungerford Pollen

Decorative artist. Born 6 New Burlington Street to Richard and Anne, sister to Charles Cockerell. Ordained as an Anglican priest in 1845, but converted to Roman Catholicism in1852. He worked on man...

Person, Art

1 memorial

Previously viewed

Jon Pertwee

Jon Pertwee

Actor.  Born 3 Sheffield Terrace, Kensington. Having served in the Royal Navy and the Naval Intelligence Division during WW2 he became widely known during his 18 years (1959–77) playing Chief Petty...

Person, Cinema, Theatre, TV & Radio, USA

3 memorials
World War 1

World War 1

We'd always assumed that this war was known as the Great War until WW2 came along at which point it was renamed as World War One or the First World War. But the term was first used in print in 1920...

Event, Armed Forces, Tragedy

403 memorials
Ravensbourne Geological Society
1 memorial
Burtons Menswear

Burtons Menswear

Clothing manufacturer and retailer. Montague Burton (1885 - 1952) was raised as Meshe David Osinsky,and emigrated from what is now Lithuania to England in 1900. He set up a business making and sell...

Group, Commerce

11 memorials