COLLECTORS' SPECIAL LIMITED PRINT-RUN

A Series of Water Colour Illustrations by Jean Warren

About the Cards

A history lesson in their own right, the British Fashion Series of 6 different cards show how dress in Britain has changed since the 14th Century. Beautifully illustrated by a water colour artist, each card depicts at least one famous person from each era.

Limited print-run in English, French, German. Italian and Japanese.

About the Artist

Jean Warren was born in 1921 in Plymouth into a Naval family and educated at Thelema College, Newquay. The family owned a hotel in Newquay, and her love of Cornwall and the West Country is evidenced by many of her paintings. Her study of the art of water colour painting, and her design apprenticeship with an exclusive clothes manufacturer, came to an end at the outbreak of World War 2 in 1939. She joined the WRNS, serving both at home and in North Africa, where she met her future husband. Married in 1946, she joined her husband in West Africa in 1950 where he was working in the colonial service. Later, whilst bringing up two sons in Uganda, she resumed her career as a cipher officer with HM Government. On her relocation to the UK in 1961, she was employed in personnel and public relations until 1972, when she moved to Rhodesia - now Zimbabwe. Returning to the UK in 1980, she lives in Wiltshire, and paints full-time.

Throughout periods spent in Africa and the UK, she sketched and painted with watercolours as a hobby. Although she has never yet exhibited, her paintings sell privately, and she is kept busy with various commissions. She particularly enjoys painting landscapes and traditional village scenes, and has also completed still lifes.

Drawing on her skills both as an artist and as a dress designer, and with reference material by the well known expert Doreen Yarwood, she started a project in 1992 which would portray, by 6 separate and marvellously accurate illustrations, the history of British Fashion since the 14th Century. The work shows not only the dress of the period in finest detail, but also authentic glimpses of the architecture and interiors. The project took three years to complete, and is now featured in the International Souvenir Phonecards range - "The British Fashion Series". The series also features illustrations of many famous faces from British History. However, the artist will neither confirm nor deny that the Wren shown 3rd from the right of the World War 2 illustration (HRH Queen Elizabeth II) is a self portrait.