Marion Richardson was born on 9 October 1892 in
Ashford,
Kent, the second daughter of Walter Marshall Richardson and his wife, Ellen.
Education She was the middle of three sisters, and apparently used to entertain the other two with stories after lights out in the bedroom which they shared. She often serialised these over many nights. She joined a story-writing group when still a child – her
nom de plume was 'A Mere Girl'. Richardson was educated at
Winchester High School for Girls, Uplands School, and
Milham Ford School in
Oxford. She trained to be an
art teacher at
Birmingham Municipal School of Arts and Crafts from 1908 to 1912 where she studied under Robert Catterson Smith who influenced her future work.
Teaching career During her training she was a pupil teacher at
Moseley School of Art, where she also worked as a junior assistant teacher. From 1912 to 1923, Richardson was the art mistress at
Dudley Girls High School. She toured
Canada in 1934 and in 1935 published
Writing and Writing Patterns, a set of hinged cards and booklets for teaching handwriting. In 1938 she organized a large and successful exhibition of children's art at
County Hall, London.
Later life She retired in 1942 due to her deteriorating health. In September 1945 she returned to
Dudley and died on 12 November 1946. Sir
Kenneth Clark wrote in his introduction that "I believe that I recognise the same tone of voice which I hear in the dialogues of
St. Catherine of Sienna." Her influence remained after her death and her
Writing and Writing Patterns was still used in schools in the 1980s. Her grave has been rediscovered by the St John's Church Preservation Group. The grave is now being maintained and a start has been made on forming a Marion Richardson Society. In 2012 an exhibition at
Dudley Museum and Art Gallery celebrated her work. ==Publications==