Edward Bawden - influential mid-century designer and illustrator

Edward Bawden was a 20th-century English painter, illustrator and graphic artist, known for his prolific output of distinctive prints, book covers, illustrations, and posters. He was particularly known for his linocut prints - often illustrating London scenes.

Born in 1903, Bawden taught at the Royal College of Art, where he had been a student, worked as a commercial artist and served as a war artist in World War Two. He was a fine watercolour painter but worked in many different media, including linocut – a medium in which he was very influential. He was varied and inventive, often using collage, and exhibiting a quirky sense of humour in much of his work, and also a master of fine detail.

As well as his linocuts, he is perhaps best-known for his commercial work for companies such as Twinings and Fortnum & Mason. Bawden's light-hearted and amusing illustrations for Christmas catalogues, menu cards, promotional brochures and other ephemera now seem to epitomise the 1930-40s era of the use of graphic design to support marketing.

Bawden was admired by Edward Gorey, David Gentleman and other graphic artists, and his work and career is often associated with that of his contemporary Eric Ravilious. Bawden lived in Great Bardfield, Essex from the 1930s to 1970. While living at Bardfield, he was an important member of the Great Bardfield Artists. This group of local artists were diverse in style but shared a love for figurative art.

Edward Bawden died in 1989. His work can be seen in several museums, notably The Higgins Bedford Museum, Bedford, to whom he bequeathed about 3,000 of his works. His son Richard has continued his father's general themes, and his work is similarly recognised.

Edward Bawden - influential mid-century designer and illustrator

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