Wyndham Payne’s career as an illustrator began in the early 1920s, gathering momentum with a series of book illustrations for renowned Charing Cross publisher Cyril Beaumont. Working in the tradition of Claud Lovat Fraser – and others – Payne nurtured a reputation for freedom of line, illustrating books, calendars, greetings cards and advertisements, often with toys – soldiers, model theatres, trains – as a subject. Aside from creating illustrations for the Beaumont Press, Payne was also commissioned by Oxford University Press and Hodder & Stoughton, among others. For The Bodley Head, he designed covers for Agatha Christie titles, whilst his celebrated jacket for The Wind in the Willows was produced for Methuen.

Wyndham Payne presents a detailed survey of the artist’s work: lino cuts, woodcuts, drawings in pen, watercolours, silhouette painting on glass, and later, when his health became too poor for commercial work, models – including automata – for his children and grandchildren. The book also includes a fulsome biography of the artist, covering his life and work.

Design: Brian Webb
Size: 152x222mm
Pages: 96
Publication: 2020
Binding: Casebound book