Maude S. M. Scrivener Biography

Maude S. M. Scrivener (1877–1956) was a British illustrator and draughtswoman particularly associated with detailed studies of animals and birds. Her surviving drawings include dogs, rabbits, kittens and wildlife subjects, often treated with close attention to posture, fur and expression.

Scrivener exhibited in the early twentieth century; auction catalogues identify works dating from the first decade of the century and describe her as exhibiting between 1907 and 1917. Pencil drawings such as Study of Rabbits and a study of a tabby kitten demonstrate her interest in animal character and observation.

Her pictures were also reproduced as postcards by Raphael Tuck & Sons. These included bird and flower designs, wildlife scenes and an Arctic-themed illustration of musk oxen. A postcard titled Chaffinches’ Nest and Clover is recorded in the Tuck postcard archive. Scrivener is also associated with an illustrated edition of Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty.

Although examples of her work survive in collections and the art market, comparatively little has been published about her life and training. The birth and death years supplied here require further confirmation from biographical records.