Maria Louise Kirk
Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Kirk studied art in Philadelphia at the School of Design for Women and then at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, She had exhibitions around Pennsylvania and won awards in Philadelphia and Chicago. In the 1890s, she went on to study at the Art Institute of Chicago and in 1894 won the Mary Smith Prize of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, for a portrait. During her career, Kirk illustrated more than fifty books, including an American edition of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" in 1904. Her style is individual, little influenced by the Jugendstil or Art Deco movements. Although she was a talented artist, with so much published work, little is known about Kirk's life. In 2009, the Folio Society of London used Kirk’s illustrations for its new edition of "At the Back of the North Wind. A review of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" (1904) in "The Advance" magazine said of it "Fifty-seven illustrations by M. L. Kirk and John Tenniel will keep the small reader at fever heat. "
Life and work
Her notable work includes illustrations for a US edition of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" in 1904, for the first edition of "The Secret Garden", and for several books by L. M. Montgomery and Johanna Spyri.