Inside the Secret Garden

Tasha Tudor was an American illustrator and writer of children's books. She was born in Boston, Massachusetts as Starling Burgess, the daughter of naval architect W. Starling Burgess, known as "the Skipper" and noted portrait painter Rosamund Tudor. At birth, she was named after her father, but he was an admirer of the War and Peace character Natasha, and his daughter was soon re-christened Natasha. The name was later shortened to Tasha. When socializing with her mother's friends, Tudor was usually introduced as "Rosamund Tudor's daughter, Tasha", leading others to believe that her last name was Tudor. Liking the sound of it, she adopted the name and eventually changed her surname legally following her second divorce. Her books feature simple and often rhyming text accompanied by detailed and realistic drawings with soft colors. Text and pictures are often bordered by intricate details such as flowers, birds or other charming objects and animals. The visual or textual content often refers to traditions, artifacts or memories of the 19th century. Her books are highly valued possessions of an appreciative audience. She also created thousands of original works of art which appear on Christmas cards, Advent calendars, Valentines, posters, and in other forms. The original art is found in museums, libraries and hundreds of private collections around the world. -- adapted from Wikipedia