Pictures of Noel Streatfield's Fossils

[chomiji]

I did this because I recently discovered how few of these illustrations from Ballet Shoes were available online. The Young Lady did the scanning for me (the scanner is attached to her Mac).

The illustrations are copyright the respective illustrators as stated and the publishers: J.M. Dent, London, for Ballet Shoes and Puffin Books for The Painted Garden (for the edition I have).

Illustrations by Ruth Gervis (Streatfield's Sister) for Ballet Shoes

The girls make their first vow about putting their unique name in the history books; clockwise from top left, Pauline, age 9½; Petrova, age 8; and Posy, age almost 6. (Date in story: late 1929)
 

Petrova at about age 11, in her "suit of jeans," working at Mr. Simpson's garage.
 

Petrova, age 12, flying an imaginary airplane "on a new route to China" while she waits to be called for an audition. Her organdy dress is over the back of the chair to keep it from getting crushed.
 

The girls' coaches (tutors), Dr. Jakes (left) and Dr. Smith.
 

Illustration by Shirley Hughes for The Painted Garden

Young Rachel Winter visits (from left) Posy Fossil, Nana, and Pauline Fossil at Pauline's house in Hollywood. Rachel is looking ashamed because she wore her "audition" dress - red crepe-de-chine - to what turns out to be a casual occasion; Pauline guesses what's up and sympathizes. (Date in story: 1948 or 1949; ETA: smillaraaq accurately noted (in an e-mail) that Posy and Pauline's clothes and hairstyles seem to reflect the 1960-ish date of the Puffin edition, rather than the original publication and storyline date.)

Comments

[chomiji]

AHhh, they are there at the bottom! The first time I looked, I couldn't see any pictures and was mightily confused.

Some notes about the pictures there that I don't show above:

Pauline has locked herself in the bathroom to cry after she's obnoxious to people at the theater where she's playing "Alice" (in Wonderland) and has to forfeit a performance (her understudy goes on instead).

Petrova's 12th birthday picnic. The man is Mr. Simpson, who lets Petrova work in his garage (he and his wife are boarders at the girls' house).

Pauline and Petrova in their new organdy dresses, about to audition for the roles of Peaseblossom and Mustardseed in "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

The girls' ballet school classmate Winifred, who is talented but not beautiful, and who loses parts to Pauline because of the looks issue and to Petrova simply because of a piece of bad luck.

Petrova as Mustardseed, "flying" on the end of a support wire.

Pauline, in her dressing-gown after changing from her Peaseblossom costume, jumping for joy because she's received an answer to a message she sent about trying out for parts in another Shakespeare production.

Cook and Clara the maid talking about Pauline's likely future in the movies.

Theo, the dance teacher who boards at the girls' house, attempting to teach the senior ballet class while Posy disrupts everything with her dance imitations.

[(Anonymous)]

Wow! Incredible! This is exactly how I always saw the book in my head when I read it as a kid. How beautiful.