Walter Crane

An exploration of the life and work of the pioneering British socialist illustrator Walter Crane – part of Thames & Hudson’s new Illustrators series, created in collaboration with Quentin Blake.

Jenny Uglow narrates the story of Walter Crane, an intriguing and most prolific figure not only in illustration, but in political culture more broadly. Uglow expertly weaves a fascinating study of how Crane’s art and politics developed from his childhood love of Pre-Raphaelite painting to the influences of Morris and William Blake on the journals, books, banners, pamphlets and postcards he went on to create as he forged a new style for the international socialist movement. Comprising a staggering range of visual material, Crane’s images became a symbolic code that leapt over linguistic boundaries. This book is a brilliant record of an artist who blended styles and influences like no one before him.

About the Author

Jenny Uglow's books include prize-winning biographies of Elizabeth Gaskell and William Hogarth. Her book on Thomas Bewick won the National Arts Writers Award for 2007, and her work on Charles II was shortlisted for the 2010 Samuel Johnson Prize. Her most recent book, Mr Lear, was described in the Guardian as 'quite wonderful'.