DAVIDSON, Lilli Ursula Barbara

1915 - 1999

Lilli Ursula Barbara 'Victoria' Commichau, was born at Munich, Bavaria, Germany on 8 January 1915, daughter of landscape painter Armin Commichau (1889-1961). After studying fashion drawing at the Lette-Haus School of Art, Berlin 1930-1933, Lilli worked for various Berlin journals as an illustrator and layout artist and, after meeting her future husband, Erich [Eric] Victor, a Jewish South African, she adopted the penname ‘Victoria’. They came to London in 1935 and in the same year, as Ursula Commichau, she married at Hampstead, London, Erich Victor (18 June 1906-23 February 1987), a research chemist, and became British citizens, they were known familiarly as Victor and Victoria. Victoria’s illustrations were regulars in 'Lilliput', 'Radio Times' and 'The Picture Post' for some twenty years, and appeared in many other English and German magazines, including 'Die Neue Auslese' and 'Suddeutsche Zeitung'. She also designed posters for London Transport, illustrated her own books for children including 'A Number Book' (1938), 'The Life and Adventures of Timothy Turnip' (1943) and 'Memoirs of a Fir-Tree' (1946). Ursula and Erich separated during the Second World War, and she married secondly at Marylebone, London in 1949, Dr Hans Adolf Davidson (1913-1980). As Lilli Ursula Barbara Davidson, she died at Boxford, Sudbury, Suffolk on 23 November 1999.

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Works by This Artist