Walter Crane

Of the Decorative Illustration of Books Old and New

(George Bell and Sons, 1896)

Walter Crane was a renowned artist and illustrator, who lectured at the Birmingham school and championed the work of its students.  Here, Crane praises Mary Newill’s works for their ‘ornamental rendering of natural landscapes’, perfectly demonstrated in her idyllic pen and ink drawing of the Somerset village of Porlock.

Mary Newill (1860–1947), who also designed textiles, studied and later taught at the Birmingham School.