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A Short History of
JANET and ANNE GRAHAME-JOHNSTONE

The twin sisters Janet and Anne Grahame Johnstone were born June 1, 1928. They were very close and continued their close association both in school and in their artistic career.

Their mother was the noted stage designer and portrait painter Doris Zinkeisen. Certainly her artistic bent had a tremendous impact on her daughters. Their father was Captain Grahame Johnstone.

After schooling during the Second World War at Heathfield, Ascot, they attended the St. Martin's School of Art, in the days of postwar austerity. The sisters studied clothing styles and Anne became quite an expert on 19th century military uniforms.

Neither of the twins married.

In the early 1950s the twins began to be noticed by publishers and acquired a growing reputation as talented illustrators. Interestingly they worked together on almost every drawing they produced. They passed a drawing back and forth across their studio until they were satisfied with it. Janet specialized in animals and birds. Anne focused on the period costumes that so dominated their work.

Although now not widely remembered, the twins at an early stage of their career worked extensively in British television during the formative years of children's programming. They produced a considerable amount of artwork for programs that some English may recall, including "Tai Lu", "Andy Pandy," and "The Flower Pot Men". These programs were exceedingly popular with British children during the 1950s and 1960s.

Their book illustrating career began to flower in the mid-1950s. The first important book was The Hundred and One Dalmatians--almost tailor made for the twin's unique talents. Dodie Smith, who was already a very successful playwright and author, invited them in 1956 to illustrate her first children's book, One-Hundred and One Dalmatians. This enchanting book, includes some of Janet and Anne's most charming illustrations. It was an immediate success, captivating parents and children alike, and was eventually made into a feature-length animated film by Walt Disney -- although the Disney illustrators lacked the enchanting whimsy of the sisters' illustrations.

Dodie Smith quickly followed-up with sequels, The Starlight Barking and The Midnight Kittens. She insisted that Janet and Anne illustrate these books, making the sisters the most widely recognized illustrators of children's books in England at the time. Their business association developed into an enduring friendship until Smith died in November 1990.

Anne and Janet also illustrated many of Paul Gallico's magical children's stories, working on Manxmouse , The Man who was Magic, and Miracle in the Wilderness. The sisters in fact illustrated more than 100 books, including classic fairytales by Hans Christian Andersen, the Brothers Grimm, J.M.Barrie, Charles Kingsley, a series based on Biblical tales, legends from Greece and Rome, as well as a large variety of rhyme and modern story-collections.

Janet died in a tragic accident during 1979. Anne was alone for the first time in her life. As a result of the tragedy, Anne found herself unexpectedly responsible for the entire business enterprise previously shared with her sister. Anne managed to honor all of outstanding commissions, even though it meant doing the part of the drawings in which her sister had specialized.

Anne had to master the techniques for drawing and painting animals, particularly horses, which had been the specialty of her sister. This was no small task. She managed to maintain the meticulous high standards set by their partnership.

On her own in the 1980s, she produced many fine illustrations. Two particularly notable books she illustrated were the editions of Peter Pan and The Water Babies published by Award. Each year she also produced Christmas cards for Royles which were very popular. Other projects included designs for limited edition Christmas jigsaw puzzles for the British bookstore chain Waddingtons ( Her family always found these puzzles impossible to finish ). She even wrote and illustrated two books about Santa Claus. Over the years, she became an expert in 19th-century military uniforms and often worked as an heraldic artist through the College of Arms. She died of cancer on May 25, 1998 aged 69.