Pearl Binder, Baroness Elwyn-Jones (pronounced /ˈbaɪndə/;[1] 28 June 1904 – 25 January 1990)[2][3] was a British writer, illustrator,
stained-glass artist, lithographer, sculptor and a champion of the
Pearly Kings and Queens.
Binder was a well-known character who had a lifelong fascination with the
East End of London, where she settled in the 1920s. In 1974, she became Lady Elwyn-Jones, when her husband, the politician and lawyer
Elwyn Jones, was appointed
Lord Chancellor and made a
life peer, taking the title Baron Elwyn-Jones.[4]
Early life
Pearl "Polly" Binder was born in
Salford in Greater Manchester. Her father was Jacob Binderevski, a Jewish tailor[3] who came to Britain in 1890 and shortly afterwards became a British citizen. Her mother's name, origins and profession are not recorded in any of the artist's biographies.[citation needed]
Career
Binder moved to London after the first world war and studied art at
Central School of Art and Design, with a focus on
lithography.[5] In this time Binder drew scenes from everyday life in London that she made into
lithographs. She published a series that illustrated "The Real East End" by
Thomas Burke, a popular writer who ran a pub in
Poplar at the time. Binder's illustrations are an intimate, first-hand portrayal of grimy London life in that era.[6] In 1933 Binder was one of the founders of the left-wing
Artists' International Association.[7][8]
In 1937, Binder was involved in the earliest days of television broadcasting for children.[4] That year, she co-presented Clothes-Line with the fashion historian
James Laver. This live six-part series was the first television programme on the history of fashion. As she did not give birth to her daughter Josephine until 6 January 1938 – less than a month after the last episode transmitted – Binder could well have been the first heavily pregnant woman to appear on television.[9]
In the course of her life, Binder travelled extensively in Russia and China, designed a musical,[10] designed costumes for a theatre company, wrote stories for children, designed a
Pearly mug and plate for
Wedgwood, and instigated and executed a series of armorial windows at the
House of Lords.[5][11]
Personal life
In 1937, she married
Elwyn Jones. They had three children: fashion historian Lou Taylor,[9] artist and activist
Dan Jones,[12][13] and the children's author Josephine Gladstone,[9] whose books she illustrated. After her death, her son-in-law, Joe Taylor recalled, "She was a woman who had great concern for others, especially women - she was a very keen supporter of women's rights", always keeping the name Pearl Binder next to her husband's name on the plaque outside their flat.[3]
Death
Binder died in Brighton on 25 January 1990 aged 86, seven weeks after the death of her husband.[3][14]
Publications
As illustrator
Hobson, Coralie (1926). Bed and Breakfast. London: Bodley Head.
— (1988). Doresuappu doresudaun. Translated by Suginome, Yasuko. Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten.
ISBN978-4000014960. – Japanese translation of Dressing up, dressing down
— (1986). The Truth About Cora Pearl. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson.
ISBN9780297785903.
References
^Plomley, Roy and Elwyn-Jones, Lord Frederick (17 February 1984).
Desert Island Discs: Lord Elwyn-Jones. BBC. Event occurs at 38:24. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
^Paul Jobling and David Crowley,Graphic Design: reproduction and representation since 1800. Manchester, New York: Manchester University Press, pg. 128;
ISBN0719044669