Born on June 19, 1881 in Weymouth, Massachusetts, Barney was the third child of William and Anna (Lloyd-Jones) Wright. She was the sister of the famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, and mother of author and illustrator Elizabeth Enright.
Maginel Wright Enright Barney is seldom remembered as a children’s book illustrator today. Her work is charming with lovely colors that exhibits the decorative sensibility typical of the early 20th century.