Mary Shepard Kenneth Grahame. Shepard graduated from the Slade School of Art. She was 23 when her father was too busy to illustrate "Mary Poppins" and Travers discovered her work on a Christmas card. She married E. V. Knox, father of Penelope Fitzgerald. Mary Shepard Mary Eleanor Jessie Knox née Shepard (25 December 1909 – 4 September 2000) was an English illustrator of children's books. She is best known for the "Mary Poppins" stories written by P. L. Travers (1934 to 1988): "Mary Shepard: Putting Mary Poppins in the picture", "The Times" of London titled an obituary article. She used her married
P. L. Travers Radio 4's radio programme "Desert Island Discs" in May 1977, Travers revealed that the name "M. Poppins" originated from childhood stories that she contrived for her sisters, and that she was still in possession of a book from that age with this name inscribed within. Travers's great aunt, Helen Morehead, who lived in Woollahra, Sydney, and used to say, "Spit spot, into bed," is a likely inspiration for the character. The musical film adaptation "Mary Poppins" was released by Walt Disney Pictures in 1964. Primarily based on the original 1934 novel of the same name, it also lifted elements from