In collaboration with the Deji Art Museum, we are transported back to the ancient world of China through the release of our latest Paperblanks series, An Era in Jinling.

Our Partnership with Deji Art Museum

A new partnership

Cicely Mary Barker (1895–1973) was an English illustrator who spent her life creating influential art and poetry, works that we are honoured to reproduce in partnership with the Cicely Mary Barker Foundation and with the permission of Frederick Warne & Co Ltd.

Since the publication of her first work in 1923, Barker’s Flower Fairies have captivated readers with their sense of childlike wonder, and their influences taken from nature, botany, and Barker’s own imagination. The lifelike nature of Barker’s Flower Fairies might be attributed to the fact that the children who attended her sister’s nursery school often posed as the fairy models. Her Flower Fairies came about at the height of the Victorian fascination with fairies and her books, which contained botanically accurate illustrations and accompanying poems, enjoyed huge popularity.

The illustration reproduced for our Flower Fairies series is entitled “The White Bindweed Fairy,” a design taken from Cicely Mary Barker’s Fairies of the Wayside collection. We are delighted bring the beautiful essence of the Flower Fairies to our Fall 2025 Paperblanks collection.

Learn More About the Deji Art Museum

A Shared Passion

Partnering with such an admired institution as the is an inspiring opportunity to bring together our mutual passions for creating meaningful connections through art and highlighting cultural experiences. Together, we hope to build a bridge between storytelling and innovation. Our new Deji Art Museum Collection draws inspiration from the timeless beauty of Chinese scrolls, building upon this rich narrative framework to unlock new possibilities for writing and creation.

Creating This Exclusive Collection

Working Together

When we first discovered Cicely Mary Barker’s iconic books, we were so taken that we immediately knew we wanted to find a way to capture the mesmerizing beauty of the Flower Fairies on our journal designs. But with Barker’s extensive repertoire of Flower Fairies illustrations, we didn’t know where to start! Eventually, after many months of research, testing, and creative inspiration, we came to focus on the White Bindweed Fairy. With influences taken from nature, botany, and childlike innocence, it was the perfect design to capture Barker’s recognizable aesthetic for our Fall 2025 collection.

Developing the release

When developing the release, our Graphics team was captivated by the opportunity to journey back to 18th-century China. Reproducing the beautiful original artwork, with its length and intricate detail, was both a privilege and a challenge. With so many scenes to choose from, selecting a single snapshot was not easy. However, we feel we got it just right in capturing the essence of the bustling streets of China so long ago.

“This is a great historical artwork for Chinese culture, as it’s rare to find a scroll so old depicting life in China from 1,000 years ago. The Graphics department, and later our management team, loved the delicacy of the elements and the poetic and romantic nature of the painting, especially the vintage look and the interesting characters and actions displayed. It’s really a snapshot of how life was back then in both the countryside and the Forbidden City.” – Adina Costiuc, Paperblanks Associate Art Director.

Original Artwork “An Era in Jinling” scroll

The future

The opportunity to highlight the cultural significance of An Era in Jinling by partnering with the Deji Art Museum has been a new and exciting challenge – one born of our shared appreciation for traditional Chinese culture and anticipation for what could be created together. We eagerly anticipate the lasting impact of this collaboration, which celebrates and reimagines cultural heritage through design. We hope this Golden Age of Prosperity design is the first of many collaborations with the renowned Deji Art Museum.

Introducing the Design

Golden Age of Prosperity

An Era in Jinling by the Qing court artist Feng Ning was inscribed by three Qing emperors, Qianlong, Jiaqing and Xuantong. Depicting the cityscape, social life, and customs of Nanjing in Song dynasty China, this long painted scroll measuring more than 10 meters is a heritage masterpiece representing traditional Chinese arts and cultures.