Birth of Walter Crane

(1845 - 1915)

DNB

Crawford, A. (2004-09-23). Crane, Walter (1845–1915), illustrator, designer, and painter. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.  Retrieved 28 Mar. 2018, from http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/od....

Birth of Arthur Gaskin

(1862 - 1928)

Birth of Georgie Gaskin

(1866 - 1934)

DNB

Crawford, A. (2004-09-23). Gaskin [née France], Georgie Evelyn Cave (1866–1934), designer. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.  Retrieved 28 Mar. 2018, from http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/od....

Goblin Market, Prince’s Progress & Other Poems

Christina G. Rossetti, illustrated by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Goblin Market, Prince’s Progress & Other Poems

(Macmillan, 1875)

The Levetus siblings built upon the legacy of an earlier brother and sister collaboration – the Rossettis.  ‘Goblin Market’ is Christina Rossetti’s best known poem.  When it was first published in 1862, it was considered a children’s moral tale, but modern audiences are often struck by its sexual violence and homoerotic undertones.

Bookplates by Celia Levetus

Bookplates by Celia Levetus 

Celia Levetus designed at least twenty-five bookplates, many of which feature a woman reading.  At a time when many women received little education, these images challenged prevailing attitudes. 

John Nettlefold, original owner of Winterbourne, and his sister Grace both had bookplates designed by Celia Levetus.

Birmingham School of Art

Birmingham School of Art

The Birmingham School of Art, England's first Municipal School of Art, opened in 1885 in a Victorian Gothic building designed by John Henry Chamberlain.  Under the guidance of founding Director of Edward R. Taylor, it became an important site of Arts and Crafts design.

A Book of Pictured Carols

Designed under the direction of Arthur J. Gaskin (George Allen, 1893)

A Book of Pictured Carols

Arthur Gaskin was an instructor at the Birmingham School, and this volume was produced by his students. The title page border was designed by Georgie Cave (later Georgie Gaskin) and cut in wood by Mildred Peacock. ‘Salvator Mundi’ was by another Birmingham School student, Florence Rutland. A letter from Gaskin to John Thackray Bunce—editor of the Birmingham Daily Post and father of artists Kate and Myra Bunce—is tipped into the copy.

The Little Grey Lady

Illustrated by Georgie Gaskin

The Little Grey Lady

(Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1893)

The snowdrops in Gaskin’s illustration allude to the answer to the ‘spring riddle’, and the baby animals are mentioned in the poem: ‘…the goslins / the ducklets & chicks / …the dear lambs…’. 

Gaskin was a woman of many talents.  She was also a prolific designer of Arts and Crafts jewellery.

The Quest

The Quest, Volumes I-II

(Cornish Brothers, 1894-96)

As the official magazine of the Birmingham School of Art, ‘The Quest’ (1894-96) prominently featured the work of instructors and former students.  The headpiece for ‘The Art of Prose’, designed by Celia Levetus, is far more charming than the turgid prose of the article.

ABC an Alphabet

Written and pictured by Mrs Arthur Gaskin

ABC An Alphabet

(Elkin Matthews, 1895)

These woodcuts by Georgie Gaskin (1866-1934) encpasulate some favourite themes of the Birmingham School:  realistic portrayal of nature, pastoral living, and mediaevalism.  Woodcuts were popular with Arts and Crafts artists, because they linked mediaeval techniques with modern industry.

Gaskin was also inspired by Kate Greenaway’s images of children.

A Book of Nursery Songs and Rhymes

S. Baring-Gould (ed.), illustrated by members of the Birmingham Art School under the direction of A. J. Gaskin

A Book of Nursery Songs and Rhymes

(Methuen, 1895)

Arthur Gaskin, an instructor at the Birmingham School of Art, oversaw publications that drew on the talents of his students.  Celia Levetus’s ‘Goosey, Goosey, Gander’ is typical of the Birmingham School, while ‘Little Jack Horner’ reflects the new ‘Decadent’ style, influenced by artists such as Aubrey Beardsley.

The Nightingale

Hans Christian Andersen, illustrated by Mary J. Newill

The Nightingale

(Napier, 1896)

Mary Newill presents an exotic interpretation of Andersen’s tale of the Chinese Emperor and his court, which reflects Victorian stereotypes of China.  She fuses Pre-Raphaelite traditions, such as flatness and detailed depiction of natural scenery, with a folk-art style typical of the Arts and Crafts movement.

The Cinder Youth

Celia Levetus
The Cinder Youth
Pen and ink, around 1896

In this pen and ink study for Turkish Fairy Tales, Levetus demonstrates her adept use of 'saturated' black. While the flattened space recalls the Pre-Raphaelites, Levetus has also been influenced by the 'Aesthetic' and 'Decadent' movements, particularly the stark, dramatic use of black in Aubrey Beardsley's illustrations.

History of the Horn-Book, Volume II

Andrew White Tuer

History of the Horn-Book, Volume II

(Leadenhall Press, 1897)

This richly illustrated volume contains a space for storing ‘horn books’.  These educational tools had been used to teach reading from mediaeval times. The striking purple ‘battledore’ horn book, embossed in gold on its highly-coloured back, features a comical poem bordering the main content. The illustrators include Birmingham School artists Georgie Cave France (later Gaskin), C. M. Gere and Celia Levetus, whose image ‘Taskmistress’ won an award.

Sybil

Poem by Edward Levetus, illustrated by Celia Levetus

Sybil

Verse and illustration, two of the foremost interests of the Pre-Raphaelites, are brought together in the work of brother and sister Celia and Edward Levetus. The siblings combine their respective talents as poet and artist, and the result is more than the sum of its parts.

Arts and Crafts Exhibition - 1899

Featuring Lectures by:
-Walter Crane
-H. Wilson
-Halsey Ricardo
-W. R. Lethaby

Featuring Work by:
-Arthur Gaskin
-Georgie Gaskin
-Walter Crane
-Mary Newill
-William Morris

https://archive.org/details/ACESExhib06AAD19801805

Divine and Moral Songs

Rev. Isaac Watts, illustrated by Mrs. Arthur Gaskin

Divine and Moral Songs

(Elkin Matthews, 1901)

Georgie Gaskin’s colour illustrations bring new life to this enduring religious ‘manual’ for children, which was first published in 1715.  Her simple line drawings and subtle use of colour are reminiscent of Kate Greenaway’s work, and were more accessible than earlier 19^th-century illustrations.  Gaskin’s delicate and naïve style appealed to late Victorian taste.

Arts and Crafts Exhibition - 1903

Featuring Work by:
-George Wilson
-Henry Price
-Walter Crane

https://archive.org/details/ACESExhib07AAD1980199