Eileen Soper

[sixret]

[Wolfgang]

Wonderful news about Eileen Soper.
Oh if only Betty Maxey could get some long overdue recognition and appreciation too:

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/foru ... 68#p333268" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Well, Pete, there's much to do, get a move on .

[pete9012S]

Too lazy to seek out the Eileen Soper Famous Five externals in the cave? .....Shame on you!!!
In the meantime, feast your eyes on these!



Is the telescope the right way round? I never noticed there was a boat in the sea on the cover of book twelve before either!

[Chrissie777]

Too lazy to seek out the Eileen Soper Famous Five externals in the cave? .....Shame on you!!! In the meantime, feast your eyes on these!

Incredible, Pete!!!

[pete9012S]

I read all the posts on Eileen Soper in "The Illustrators", but still couldn't find an answer to my question: did Eileen Soper actually go to Corfe Castle, Dorset, in 1941/1942 when she illustrated the first Famous Five book?
Although I have the book "The Art of George and Eileen Soper", it doesn't really tell how Soper created her beautiful Kirrin castle illustrations in "Five on a Treasure Island".
Did she use photographs of Corfe Castle or actually spent some time there?
In case somebody knows, I would love to find out more.

Any definitive answer to this intriguing question yet??

[Chrissie777]

Pete, you are such a sweetheart for bringing up my question once more. Thank you!

[Courtenay]

I don't know where to find out about Eileen Soper's travels, but I really don't think there's any substance to the claim that she based her drawings of Kirrin Castle on Corfe Castle — unless Soper herself or someone close to her said that she did, that is.

Looking at the real Corfe Castle and Soper's illustrations of Kirrin Castle, I can only see the vaguest of resemblances:







Do we have any evidence that she had Corfe Castle in mind at all when drawing Kirrin Castle?

[pete9012S]

Chrissie, these are the images that always give me the impression Eileen Soper had a working knowledge of Corfe Castle, even if she never actually visited in person:






I hear you screaming at me Chrissie, what about Betty Maxey's interpretation of the same scene!!
Well, as Dr. Frasier Crane famously cried, I'm listening!!!

[Anita Bensoussane]

None of those illustrations look like Corfe Castle to me!

[Courtenay]

That's just what I was thinking too — the Wonderful Time illustrations look even less like Corfe Castle, which doesn't have a round tower at all.

[Chrissie777]

Chrissie, these are the images that always give me the impression Eileen Soper had a working knowledge of Corfe Castle, even if she never actually visited in person
I hear you screaming at me Chrissie, what about Betty Maxey's interpretation of the same scene!!
Well, as Dr. Frasier Crane famously cried, I'm listening!!!

Pete, I've walked a long time at the top of Corfe Castle and took some pics.
This illustration

https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/aut ... 886478.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and this one

https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/aut ... 363180.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

look exactly like the ruined Corfe Castle top to me.
But Anita and Courtenay are right, there is no intact tower left at Corfe Castle. Only a keep.

Betty Maxey's illustration that you've posted looks a lot like a castle with 4 towers which we've crossed twice on the way to the Jurassic Coast coming from Corfe Castle Village, but no matter how long I search in Google Maps and how much I blow up the map, I can't find it. But I know it's there. Hopefully timv will read my post, because he once mentioned that other castle. Somehow I seem to remember that it was the model for Malory Towers?

[Courtenay]

This illustration

https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/aut ... 886478.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and this one

https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/aut ... 363180.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

look exactly like the ruined Corfe Castle top to me.

Hmmm, but lots of ruined castles all over the UK could have an arch like that — it's too nondescript to say for sure that it's inspired by a particular one, Corfe or otherwise.

I'm not sure, but I think I remember reading somewhere that Eileen Soper and Enid Blyton didn't have a lot of contact with each other over the Famous Five illustrations. We know Enid was familiar with Corfe Castle, but there's no solid evidence that she directly based Kirrin (or any of her other castles) on Corfe — and unless she had told Eileen herself that Corfe Castle was one of her inspirations, there's no reason to assume that Eileen ever thought of using Corfe as a model. Unless she happened to live somewhere near Dorset herself and might have been there — do we know where she lived before or during the time she was illustrating the Famous Five books?

I still think any evidence from the illustrations is far too sketchy (pardon the pun) to be taken seriously. There's nothing in any of them that clearly suggests Corfe Castle.

[Fiona1986]

I've seen people say that Lulworth Castle was the inspiration for Malory Towers, that's in Dorset.

[Courtenay]

Lulworth Castle does look likely as a Malory Towers model — here's a website — and it's near Wareham, which is on the way to Corfe Castle, so maybe that's the one you were thinking of, Chrissie.

[pete9012S]

Pete, I've walked a long time at the top of Corfe Castle and took some pics.
This illustration

https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/aut ... 886478.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and this one

https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/aut ... 363180.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

look exactly like the ruined Corfe Castle top to me.

Thank you Chrissie - great comparison pics.

Here's Betty Maxey's superlative take on 'the arch'. Not a bad cover illustration for a Maxey, even if I do say so myself!:

Regards

Pete