Professor Allen W. Seaby (1867-1953)
| Allen W. Seaby | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1867 |
| Died | 28 July 1953 Reading, Berkshire, England |
| Alma mater | Reading School of Art |
| Occupation |
|
| Employer | University of Reading |
| Relatives | Robert Gillmor (grandson) |
Allen William Seaby (1867 - 28 July 1953) Is best known as an ornithological painter and printmaker, and Professor of Fine Art at the University of Reading. He was the author of several art books for students, and also wrote and illustrated books for children.
Allen W. Seaby was a student at Reading School of Art under Frank Morley Fletcher, where he developed a lifelong passion for colour woodblock printing in the Japanese style. Published on a range of subjects, including art history and technique as well as children’s literature, Seaby taught fine art at the University of Reading for many years, eventually becoming a professor and head of department. Among his students were Kathleen Hale, the creator of Orlando the Marmalade Cat: A Camping Holiday (1938) and its sequels, and C.H. Chapman, who went on to take over the drawing of Billy Bunter.
Seaby’s illustrations are well-known to post-war British children through his watercolours for two Ladybird books on British birds by Brian Vesey-Fitzgerald: British Birds and their Nests (1953) and A Second Book of British Birds and their Nests (1954).
Allen W. Seaby was the grandfather of noted wildlife illustrator and printmaker, Robert Gillmor.
Seaby was an early exponent of the pony story for children, as Alison Haymonds points out:
In the 1920s there was a growing interest in native pony breeds and there was no stronger devotee than Allen W. Seaby, Professor of Fine Art at Reading University, who wrote a series of books on the main breeds, starting with Skewbald: The New Forest Pony (1923), illustrated with his own woodcuts and water colours. These nature books paved the way for scores of minor Black Beautys, the best of which was Golden Gorse’s Moorland Mousie (1929), illustrated by the great sporting artist Lionel Edwards.
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