Iris Brooke

Iris Evelina Margery Brooke, later Iris Giffard was a British artist, author and book illustrator who, throughout her career, concentrated on exploring the history of costume.

Biography

Brooke was born at Ryde on the Isle of Wight in January 1905 and attended Bruntsfield High School on the island. From 1923 to 1926 she studied at the Croydon School of Art and then at the Royal College of Art in London until 1929, where her teachers included Randolph Schwabe. Throughout her subsequent career, Brooke created portraits in both oil and chalk but mainly concentrated on writing and illustrating books on historical costumes and fashion. She also wrote articles for a number of journals and was elected a member of the Women's Press Club.
In 1931, Brooke married Patrick Hopegood MacDowell but later divorced. They had a son, Michael. In 1944, she married William Hugh Giffard and the couple settled near Honiton in Devon.

Books illustrated

English Costume of the Nineteenth Century, 1929, by James LaverEnglish Costume of the Eighteenth Century, 1931, by James LaverA Pageant of Kings and Queens, 1937, by Constance Mary Matthews & Charles CarringtonArpies and Sirens, 1942, by Susan Knowles.

Books written and illustrated

English Children's Costume Since 1775, 1930English Costume in the Age of Elizabeth, 1933English Costume of the Seventeenth Century, 1934English Costume of the Early Middle Ages, 1936A History of English Costume, 1937Western Europe costume and its relation to the theatre, 1939English Costume 1900–50, 1951Four Walls Adorned: Interior Decoration 1485–1820, 1952Pleasures of the Past, 1955English Costume of the Later Middle Ages, 1956Dress and Undress, 1958English Children's Costume Since 1775, 1958Costume in Greek Classic Drama, 1962Western European Costume and Its Relation to the Theatre, 1963Medieval Theatre Costume, 1967.