Frank Cheyne Pape, 1878-1972

Frank Cheyne Pape was born in England in 1878. His earliest recorded work dates from around 1908 and during the first part of his career he worked predominantly in colour, illustrating a series of fairy books including The Ruby Fairy Book, The Diamond Fairy Book and The Golden Fairy Book. In 1912 he completed the watercolour illustrations for As it is in Heaven, a children's book by Alfred Clark.

The present works depict scenes from this story about a little boy lying ill in bed who, as he dreams, finds himself in heaven. Clark's vision of heaven is a utopian ideal, a place full of the natural wonders of earth but without the toil, suffering and sorrow which pervade our world. The little boy's journey through this paradise sees him meeting people of different nationalities who tell him how they came to heaven. The many children who read Clark's book revelled in the incidents and descriptions as the stories unfolded, delighting in the beauty and delicacy of Pape's accompanying illustrations.