Meet Mary Engelbreit

Yes, Mary Engelbreit is a real person, not a corporate character! Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Mary has been drawing since she could hold a crayon and knew by age 11 that she wanted to be an artist for life.

As a child, she loved to read and would draw pictures to go with the stories, inspired by illustrators like Jessie Wilcox Smith, Johnny Gruelle, and Joan Walsh Anglund. By high school, she was selling hand-drawn greeting cards to a local shop, ignoring advice to become an English teacher to pursue her dream of art instead.

After working in art supply stores and small ad agencies, Mary became a freelance illustrator and a staff artist at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Her turning point came when she left that job to focus on her own drawings, eventually exhibiting her work and discovering that people loved her unique, heartfelt style.

Though she initially dreamed of illustrating children’s books, an art director encouraged her to try greeting cards. Mary embraced the opportunity, leading her to start The Mary Engelbreit Greeting Card Company in 1983 with her husband, Phil Delano, just as they were expecting their second son.

At their first National Stationery Show in New York, their twelve card designs stood out for their detailed, colorful artwork paired with meaningful quotes, quickly gaining attention in the crowded market. The business grew, expanding into calendars, mugs, stickers, rubber stamps, and hundreds of licensed products while Mary’s illustrations connected deeply with people wanting to share special moments with those they love.

In 1993, Mary finally realized her dream of illustrating a children’s book with The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen, which became a Publisher’s Weekly Children’s bestseller. Despite enjoying the challenge, she discovered she loved creating greeting cards most of all.

Mary continues to draw nearly every day, working in studios that inspire her, staying true to her love of creating art that brings joy and connection to people’s lives. Each piece is still carefully created by hand with pencil, ink, markers, and colored pencils, taking two to three days to complete.

She believes deeply that To Imagine is Everything—a philosophy that continues to shine through her art, delighting generations of fans around the world.