Elizabeth Persis Esperance Kirmse (1884 in Bournemouth – 18 May 1955 in Tunbridge Wells)London Gazette 22 July 1955 was a British artist and illustrator known for her works of cats and dogs.Dominic Winter. British & Continental Paintings and Watercolors - Wednesday 5 February 2014. p. 26. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
She was the daughter of Richard and Lea Kirmse, respectively of German and Swiss origin, the proprietors of a private school in Hampshire. She produced oil paintings, works in pastels, and etchings of pets, often as commissions, and illustrated books, postcards, and calendars.
She produced illustrated versions of scenes from Shakespeare using animal characters, including Shakespeare at the Kennels (1934), Shakespeare with the Pets (1935), Shakespeare at the Zoo (1936) and Shakespeare and the Birds (1938). Her illustrations were also used in books by Frances Pitt and E.V. Lucas. Her work was exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1916.
Her sister, Marguerite Kirmse (1885–1954), was also an artist, specialising in etchings of dogs.
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