Virginia Frances Sterrett was an American artist and illustrator, born in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. She was an introverted young woman, who much preferred drawing and day-dreaming to socialising with children of her own age. In Chicago, she enrolled in high school to progress her studies in art. She later joined the Art Institute of Chicago, where she was awarded a scholarship.
Sadly, Sterrett was forced to leave the Art Institute just one year later, when her mother became seriously ill, and she was forced to take on the role of main provider for the family.
Sterrett received her first commission to illustrate Old French Fairy Tales (1920) at the age of nineteen – shortly after she was diagnosed with tuberculosis.
Her illustrations for this book were delicate yet powerful, and she quickly made a name for herself in the world of children’s illustration. A year after the publication of Old French Fairy Tales, a new title – Tanglewood Tales, written by the popular author Nathaniel Hawthorne - was presented. The book contained re-told myths from Greek mythology, and further propelled Sterrett’s work into the public eye – securing her place in the Golden Age canon.
From 1923, in failing health, Sterrett was able to complete just one further commission prior to her death – her own interpretation of Arabian Nights (1928). This last work was also her best-known suite of illustrations.