Bettina Papers

Born March 19, 1903 in Vienna, Austria, Bettina Bauer, who used her first name as a pen name, began drawing and writing at the age of five. She attributed her early interest in painting and storytelling to her mother, who was a painter, and to her father, who invented exciting stories about naughty children. At age 17 she entered an art school in Vienna which she attended for three years. Later she spent two years in Berlin and one in Paris and exhibited in both cities. In 1930 she married Georg Ehrlich, a famous sculptor and draftsman. Not until she was living in London and the bombs were dropping in the early 1940s did she write and illustrate Poo-Tsee, the Water Tortoise, her first story for children.

Bettina made many serious studies for her illustrations and believed that children should be given pictures based on the love and observation of nature. Many of her stories came from her travels through Europe and the United States. She experimented with various techniques and media such as lithography, etching, oils, watercolor, woodcut and linoleum cut. Bettina wrote and illustrated more than 20 books for children. She received a silver medal for handpainted silks at the International Exhibition of Arts and Industries in Paris in 1937.

Ms. Ehrlich passed away October 10, 1985.

Sources:

More Junior Authors, 1963, pp. 16-17.

Something About the Author, vol. 1, pp. 82-84.

Illustrators of Children's Books: 1967-1976, pp. 100-101.