Mary Engelbreit Explained

Mary Engelbreit
Birth Date:5 June 1952
Birth Place:St. Louis, Missouri
Nationality:American
Spouse:Phil Delano

Mary Engelbreit (born June 5, 1952)[1] is an artist whose illustrations have been printed in books, cards and calendars.[2]

Biography

She was born and lives in St. Louis, Missouri.

Engelbreit attributes her beginnings in art to getting eyeglasses in second grade and being able to see details of the world around her clearly for the first time.[3] After meeting her first artist, at age 9, she became convinced she needed her own studio space, which her mother helped set up in the family linen closet.

Career

Engelbreit began working for a local advertising company, Hot Buttered Graphics. Hoping to work as an illustrator of children's books, she shopped her portfolio around New York without success. She began working on greeting cards and her first nationally distributed greeting card featured a malapropism that played off an old saying, "Life is just a bowl of cherries", showing a girl looking at a chair piled high with bowls, with the legend: "Life is just a chair of bowlies."

Her company, Mary Engelbreit Co., was founded in 1982. It was located in Webster Groves, Missouri and then was moved to a former Greek Orthodox church in University City, Missouri in 1994.[4] As of 1996, her company reported $86 million in sales per year. Mary Engelbreit stores were located in St. Louis; Schaumburg, Illinois; Dallas, Texas; Denver, Colorado; and Alpharetta, Georgia.[5]

As her card line grew in size and popularity, it drew attention from other companies who licensed her artwork on products including calendars, T-shirts, mugs, gift books, rubber stamps, ceramic figurines, and fabric. She launched a line of "Engeldark" greeting cards in 2016 that feature snarky humor.[6]

Engelbreit was editor-in-chief of a bi-monthly creative lifestyle magazine, Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion, starting in 1996.[7]

Mary Engelbreit's A Merry Little Christmas received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews.[8] Two of her books, Mary Engelbreit's Mother Goose and A Night of Great Joy, received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly.[9] She has had two New York Times children's bestsellers, including an edition of The Night Before Christmas that reached #5 on the New York Times bestseller list[10] [11] and Mary Engelbreit's Mother Goose, which debuted at #6 and was on the bestseller list for four weeks.[12] [13]

She has designed sets for the St. Louis Muny's production of Matilda in 2019.[14]

Personal life

Engelbreit married Phil Delano, a social worker, in 1977; in 1986, they formed Mary Engelbreit Studios. The couple had two children: Evan, born in 1980; and Will, born in 1983. Evan died in June 2000; his daughter, Mikayla, was adopted by Engelbreit and her husband. Engelbreit has a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame.[15]

Engelbreit supports Black Lives Matter. She created art inspired by the mother of Michael Brown.[16] [17] [18] [19]

Selected works

Adults

Children

Notes and References

  1. Web site: St. Louis Walk of Fame. St. Louis Walk of Fame.
  2. Web site: Manning. Margie. August 13, 2000. Mary Engelbreit: Illustrator, entrepreneur Mary Engelbreit Co.. 2021-01-02. www.bizjournals.com.
  3. Mary Engelbreit. "If You Can Dream It," Guideposts, October 1998.
  4. "Former church is new HQ for Mary Engelbreit Co." St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 1 Aug 1994: p. 127. Via Proquest.
  5. Sandstrom, Karen. "Homefront: Mary Engelbreit's magazine markets domestic manageability." Chicago Tribune. 23 Nov 1996: B12.
  6. Web site: Quinonez. Alyssa. 2019-10-17. Mary Engelbreit opens exhibition in Old Webster. 2020-12-29. Webster Journal. en-US.
  7. Hertenstein, Barbara. "Cute is the name of the game." September 29, 1996. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 154.
  8. Book: Mary Engelbreit's A Merry Little Christmas. en.
  9. Web site: Children's Book Review: A Night of Great Joy by Mary Engelbreit. 2021-01-08. PublishersWeekly.com. en.
  10. "Best Sellers." The New York Times Book Review, vol. 107, no. 49, 8 Dec. 2002, p. 78. Gale Literature Resource Center. Accessed 8 Jan. 2021.
  11. "Best Sellers: December 29, 2002." The New York Times Book Review, 29 Dec. 2002, p. 14. Gale Literature Resource Center.
  12. "Children's Best Sellers." New York Times. 23 Oct 2005: F22.
  13. "Children's Best Sellers." New York Times. 13 Nov 2005: F47.
  14. Web site: Kline. Diane. Take It from Me: Artist Mary Engelbreit. 2021-01-02. GAZELLE MAGAZINE. 5 July 2019 . en-US.
  15. Web site: St. Louis Walk of Fame Inductees. St. Louis Walk of Fame. stlouiswalkoffame.org. 25 April 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20121031162946/http://www.stlouiswalkoffame.org/inductees/?view=achievement. 31 October 2012. dead.
  16. Web site: Sultan. Aisha. How did Mary Engelbreit get so woke? St. Louis artist known for cute drawings isn't holding back. 2020-12-29. STLtoday.com. 3 February 2020 . en.
  17. Web site: 2015-08-14. Mary Engelbreit Riles Fans, Again. 2020-12-29. artnet News. en-US.
  18. Web site: Illustrator Mary Engelbreit Gets Called Out For Her Anti-Racist, Michael Brown Anniversary Art, And Her Response Deserves All The Applause. 2020-12-29. Bustle. 10 August 2015 . en.
  19. Web site: Sultan. Aisha. On the Beat: A personal side of Mary Engelbreit's outspoken activism. 2020-12-29. STLtoday.com. 6 February 2020 . en.
  20. Web site: Nonfiction Book Review: Mary Engelbreit's Christmas Companion. 2021-01-08. PublishersWeekly.com. en.
  21. Web site: Nonfiction Book Review: Mary Engelbreit: The Art and the Artist. 2021-01-08. www.publishersweekly.com.
  22. Cooper, Ilene. "Mary Engelbreit: The Art and the Artist." Booklist, vol. 93, no. 5, 1 Nov. 1996, p. 472. Via Gale.
  23. Web site: Carrie. Scarr. September 15, 2010. Mary Engelbreit's Fan Fare Cookbook. 2021-01-08. Library Journal.
  24. Web site: November 3, 1997. Children's Book Review: My Symphony. 2021-01-08. PublishersWeekly.com. en.
  25. Hyde, Toni. "Believe: A Christmas Treasury." Booklist, vol. 95, no. 4, 15 Oct. 1998, p. 374. Gale Literature Resource Center. Accessed 8 Jan. 2021.
  26. Web site: Children's Book Review: Baby Booky: Booky by Mary Engelbreit. 2021-01-08. PublishersWeekly.com. en.
  27. Web site: Children's Book Review: Lovey Dovey by Mary Engelbreit. 2021-01-08. Publishers Weekly. en.
  28. November 1, 2002. The Night Before Christmas. Kirkus Reviews.
  29. Web site: 2003-09-22. Children's Book Review: Queen of Christmas. 2021-01-08. Publishers Weekly.
  30. Web site: Children's Book Review: Queen of the Class. 2021-01-08. Publishers Weekly.
  31. June 1, 2004. Queen of the Class. Kirkus Reviews.
  32. December 15, 2004. Queen of Hearts. Kirkus Reviews.
  33. Web site: Audio Book Review: Mary Engelbreit's Mother Goose. 2021-01-08. Publishers Weekly. en.
  34. February 1, 2006. Queen of Easter. Kirkus Reviews.
  35. Web site: Children's Book Review: Mary Engelbreit's Nutcracker. 2021-01-08. Publishers Weekly.
  36. Web site: Walter. Virginia. October 1, 2011. Mary Engelbreit's Nutcracker. 2021-01-08. School Library Journal.
  37. October 15, 2013. Peace on Earth: A Christmas Collection. Kirkus Reviews.
  38. June 15, 2014. The Blessings of Friendship. Kirkus Reviews.
  39. Web site: Boles. Jenna. September 1, 2014. The Blessings of Friendship Treasury. 2021-01-08. School Library Journal.
  40. September 1, 2016. A Night of Great Joy. Kirkus Reviews.
  41. Phelan, Carolyn. "A Night of Great Joy." Booklist, vol. 113, no. 2, 15 Sept. 2016, p. 57. Gale Literature Resource Center. Via Gale.
  42. November 1, 2006. Mary Engelbreit's A Merry Little Christmas. Kirkus Reviews.
  43. Web site: Mary Engelbreit's Little Book of Love. subscription. 2021-01-08. School Library Journal.

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