Brisley, Joyce Lankester, 1896-

Joyce Lankester Brisley, children's writer and illustrator, was born on 6th Feb 1896 in Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex. She was the second of three sisters; Nina was a year younger and Ethel the eldest. Joyce's father, George Brisley, was a local pharmacist whilst his wife, Constance, looked after the family. All three sisters attended evening classes at Hastings School of Art. By the time the girls were in their teens, Ethel was exhibiting at the Royal Academy and Joyce and Nina were contributing illustrations to Home chat .

After the break-up of the Brisley's marriage in June 1912, Constance Brisley and her three daughters moved to a small flat in Brixton, London. Joyce and Nina enrolled at Lambeth School of Art in Oct, seeking to overcome the loss of their father's income by earning a living from writing stories and illustrating Christmas cards, postcards and children's annuals.

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