Erna Pinner came from a Jewish family in Frankfurt. She studied art in Frankfurt, Berlin and Paris. Together with her partner, the author Kasimir Edschmid, she undertook several – in some cases extensive – journeys to southern Europe, South America and Africa, and illustrated his travelogues (e.g. Das große Reisebuch [The Big Travel Book], 1927) as well as other works. By the time she fled into exile in 1935, she had an extensive body of work to her credit, which she had presented at eleven solo exhibitions and more than 30 group exhibitions. Her earlier works, which she was unable to take with her into exile, were largely destroyed when her parents' house was hit during a bombing raid in 1944.

In March 1935, Erna Pinner was excluded from the Reichskammer der Bildenden Künste. She emigrated to Britain in the autumn of that year and initially received support from her relatives there. She received her first commissions as an illustrator through her acquaintance with Julian Huxley, Director of the London Zoological Society and London Zoo, as a result of which she was able to build on her extensive experience as an animal illustrator and continue developing her artistic and scientific expertise in this field (e.g. Wonders of Animal Life, 1945). However, in order to earn a living, she frequently had to accept more lucrative commercial commissions which required a more appealing style (Felix Salten, Bambi’s children, 1941). At times, she created models of animals and illustrated greeting cards. Despite her precarious material circumstances, she also made an active contribution to refugee aid.

Pinner was a member of PEN in Exile. In 1947, she became a British citizen. In 1948, she began publishing larger numbers of scientific articles, for example in various Swiss journals. It is unlikely that she ever considered returning to Germany permanently.

Selected works:
Tierskizzen aus dem Frankfurter Zoo (1927)
Ich reise durch die Welt (mit Kasimir Edschmid, 1931)
Animal Favourites (David Seth-Smith, 1936)
Curious Creatures (1951)

Further reading:
Barbara Weidle: Nachwort, in: Erna Pinner: Curious Creatures. Seltsame Geschöpfe der Tierwelt, Bonn: Weidle Verlag, 2022, S. 273–300
Zurück ins Licht. Vier Künstlerinnen, ihre Werke, ihre Wege: Rosy Lilienfeld, Amalie Seckbach, Erna Pinner, Ruth Cahn, hg. von Eva Sabrina Atlan und Mirjam Wenzel, Bielefeld: Kerber Verlag, 2022