The mid-twentieth century saw a flourishing of illustrated non-fiction for younger readers in Britain, as writers and artists worked to make history and everyday life accessible to children through words and pictures together. Agnes Allen was one of the contributors to that tradition, working as both a writer and an illustrator in English.

Born in England on 1 January 1898, Allen worked as a British children's writer and illustrator. She and her husband, Jack Allen, illustrated "The Story of" series together, and among the titles in that body of work was The Story of Your Home. That book featured detailed line drawings produced by Agnes and Jack Allen, meaning the visual and written elements of the work came from the same collaborative partnership.

The combination of writing and illustration handled by the same pair gave the books a particular internal consistency. Allen wrote in English and her work was catalogued under her name in the Library of Congress Name Authority File, reflecting the bibliographic record her output accumulated over the course of her career.

Allen received the Carnegie Medal in 1949, one of the significant honours available in British children's publishing. She died on 1 January 1959, and The Story of Your Home, with its detailed line drawings produced alongside Jack Allen, stands as a concrete record of the work for which she was recognised.