Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 9

Edward Julius Detmold
Early 20th Century British illustration of a hornbill bird by Edward Detmold

About the Item

Edward Julius Detmold (British, 1883 – 1957) Hornbill Pen and ink on paper Signed with initials’ ED’ (lower right) 16.3 x 15.8 cm. Edward Julius Detmold (21 November 1883 Putney, Wandsworth, Surrey - 1 July 1957 Montgomery) and his twin brother Charles Maurice Detmold (1883-1908) were prolific Victorian book illustrators. Their parents were Edward Detmold and Mary Agnes Luck. Their father, an electrical engineer was chronically ill, and they lived with their uncle and guardian, Dr Edward Barton Shuldham, who saw to their tuition and was a noted collector of porcelain and Japanese woodprints of plants and animals. Dr Shuldham occupied a house in Upper Richmond Road, Putney, where the twins had been born. He ensured their interest in natural history and art, and created a nurturing environment for their precocious talents. They also spent time with another uncle, the painter Henry E. Detmold, who encouraged them in their art. Most of their prodigious energy was expended on depicting animal subjects and their work showed great influence from traditional Japanese art, Albrecht Dürer and later the Art Nouveau movement. They were exhibiting watercolours at the Royal Academy and the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours at the age of 13. Edward Burne-Jones praised their work and warned against the dangers of uniformity inherent in art schools. The twins subsequently mastered the techniques of watercolour etching and of colour printing with copper plates, buying a printing press and producing their own proofs at home. In 1898 they compiled a portfolio of colour etchings of animals and flowering plants done in the Japanese style. These were much sought after and were rapidly sold out. They collaborated on the etchings and illustrations for their first book Pictures From Birdland published in 1899. This book resulted from a number of drawings being shown in the autumn of 1897, to the publisher J. M. Dent, who was so impressed that the two brothers were asked to provide coloured illustrations for a book of his. The first title mooted was Alphabet of Birds, eventually becoming Pictures from Birdland. "Particularly noticeable are the early influences in the paintings, Edward's design for an osprey, with its unusual water effects, testifying to a Japanese contribution. Already apparent is that style in which a searching study of natural forms, especially bird plumage, is subordinated to decorative arrangement" - David Larkin (The Fantastic Creatures of Edward Julius Detmold) This was followed in 1900, by an exhibition at the Fine Art Society's Gallery in London. Their next joint project was to produce a set of 16 watercolours for Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book published in 1903, by Macmillan. The success of their painting careers seemed assured, but Maurice ended his life by inhaling chloroform in April 1908, shortly before they were due to leave for a holiday in Sussex with Dr Shuldham, who had arranged that Maurice put down the household cats using the anaesthetic. Although stunned by the death of Maurice, Edward threw himself into his work. The recognition accorded the twins' illustrations of Kipling's classic tale was extraordinary. Consequently, in 1909 Edward illustrated The Fables of Aesop, producing 23 colour plates and a host of pen & ink drawings. This proved so popular that in 2006 The Folio Society of London published a facsimile of the original Hodder & Stoughton edition. In 1911, Detmold worked on illustrations for Maurice Maeterlinck's The Life of the Bee, Camille Lemonnier's Birds and Beasts and Florence Dugdale's Book of Baby Beasts. In the following year he worked on Maeterlinck's Hours of Gladness, in 1913, on Florence Dugdale's Book of Baby Birds and in 1919, on W. H. Hudson's Birds in Town and Village In 1919, he also produced a portfolio of Twenty Four Nature Pictures and, in 1921, on Our Little Neighbours and Jean-Henri Fabre's Book of Insects. Edward took up etching again in 1922 after Campbell Dodgson praised the Detmolds' work in The Print Collector's Quarterly. 1923 saw the appearance of Rainbow Houses. In 1924, Hodder & Stoughton published The Arabian Nights - Tales from the Thousand and One Nights, a book that had been planned from before Maurice's death. Again, an enduring interest in the book and particularly its illustrations, led to a 2003 facsimile edition from The Folio Society. Edward Detmold was painstaking in his work, missing deadlines so that a complete set of colour plates for Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales were never used by Hodder and remained unpublished.[9] Detmold's meticulously finished images compare favourably with work by any of the Pre-Raphaelites. Edward Julius became one of the most talented of illustrators, depicting animals and plants with an extraordinary understanding, and making use of fantasy settings of architecture and landscape. He lived in London, sharing a house with his mother, artist Sidney Laurence Biddle and musician Harold Hulls, until the outbreak of the Second World War, when the household moved first to Sussex and then to Montgomeryshire, and in his final years he retired completely from public life. He suffered a period of depression, brought on by failing eyesight, that resulted in his committing suicide, aged 73, by his shooting himself in the chest in July 1957.
  • Creator:
    Edward Julius Detmold (1883 - 1957, British)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 6.42 in (16.3 cm)Width: 6.23 in (15.8 cm)Depth: 1.97 in (5 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    Minor spots of dirt, recently remounted in thick white card, behind glass. In a simple black wood frame.
  • Gallery Location:
    Petworth, GB
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU540310094392

More From This Seller

View All
British illustration by EH Shephard, illustrator for Winnie the Pooh
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Ernest Howard Shephard (British, 1879 – 1976) The land of the lost toys – ‘Oh that’s you is it’ Inscribed with title (lower edge), and further inscribed ...
Category

20th Century English School Animal Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Pen

Cornish, St. Ives artist Sven Berlin drawing 'White bird', pen and ink on paper
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Sven Berlin (British, 1911 - 1999) White bird Pen and ink Signed with monogram, inscribed and dated `WHITE BIRD SclPT MY 87 SB’ (lower middle) 12.3/4 x 7.3/4 in. (32.3 x 19.7 cm.) S...
Category

20th Century Modern Animal Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Pen

Mid Century, modern British artist Sven Berlin, a strutting cockerel
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Sven Berlin (British, 1911 - 1999) A strutting cockerell Pen and ink 8 x 4.5/8 in. (20 x 12 cm.) (4) Sven Berlin, born in Sydenham, London on 14th Septemb...
Category

20th Century Modern Animal Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Pen

Modern British, 20th Century St. Ives artist, Sven Berlin, 'Equus' drawing
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Sven Berlin (British, 1911 - 1999) Equus Pen and ink 7.7/8 x 12.3/4 in. (19.7 x 32.4 cm.) Sven Berlin, born in Sydenham, London on 14th September 1911, was an English painter, draug...
Category

20th Century Romantic Animal Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Pen

An original British 20th Century drawing by British illustrator Heath Robinson
By William Heath Robinson
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
William Heath Robinson (British, 1872-1944) 'The Friendly Dog' Signed 'W. Heath Robinson.' (lower right) Pen and ink on paper 11 X 8.1/2in. (28 X 21.7cm.) (excluding frame) 46 x 38cm. (18.1/4 x 15in. (including frame) Literature: 'Old Time Stories', Constable and Co. 1921, P. 143 William Heath Robinson was an artist and illustrator mainly associated with his gloriously complicated inventions for simple objectives. The name Heath Robinson has become commonplace in the English language as a result to describe anything mechanical that is eccentric, ridiculously complex and ingenious at the same time . Interestingly one of the automatic analysis machines built for Bletchley Park...
Category

Early 20th Century Animal Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Pen

Female, British 20th Century illustrator Eileen Soper 'Rabbit was in one ....'
By Eileen Soper
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Eileen Soper, RMS SWLA (British, 1905 – 1990) Rabbit was in one of his dreamy moods Signed ,inscribed with title (below mount) Pen and ink 3.1/4 x 5.1/4 in. (9 x 16.2 cm.) Provenanc...
Category

20th Century Other Art Style Animal Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Pen

You May Also Like

Garth Bayley, Thunder, Contemporary Art, Horse Racing Art, Affordable Art
By Garth Bayley
Located in Deddington, GB
Garth Bayley Thunder Original Art Pen and ink on paper Image size: H:24 cm x W:32 cm Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:24 cm x W:32 cm x D:0.1cm Sold Unf...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Animal Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Pen

Garth Bayley, Round the Bend, Horse Racing Art, Affordable Art, Contemporary Art
By Garth Bayley
Located in Deddington, GB
Garth Bayley Round the Bend Original Figurative Pen and ink on watercolour paper Image size: H:24 cm x W:32 cm Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:24 cm x W:32 cm x D:0.1cm Sold Unframed Please note that insitu images are purely an indication of how a piece may look Garth Bayley Round the Bend Original pen and ink painting on watercolour paper Pen and ink on paper Image size: H24 cm x W32 cm x D 0.1cm Sold Unframed Please note that in situ images are purely an indication of how a piece may look. Round the Bend is an original painting by Garth Bayley. Pen and ink horse racing painting. The barrier becomes the focus to keep the horses on track. Horse racing art...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Animal Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Pen

Mustang Horse Drawing
By Laurence Sisson
Located in Soquel, CA
Masterful sketch of a mustang horse by Laurence Sassoon (American, 1928-2015). This piece is unsigned, but was acquired from David Sassoon, the artist's son, and is initialed "DS" on verso as an indication of authenticity. Presented in a new black mat with foamcore backing. Image size: 7"H x 9"W. Laurence Sisson, was a student of Herbert Barnett (1910-1972), he was one of America's preeminent realist painters today. His work may be found in the permanent collections of museums nationwide including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Portland Museum of Art, Maine. Laurence Sisson painted landscapes for sixty years. He was known for his paintings of the Maine coast...
Category

Late 20th Century American Impressionist Animal Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Permanent Marker

Across the Line
By Garth Bayley
Located in Deddington, GB
Across the line – Horse racing painting – Garth Bayley [2022] original Pen and Ink Image size: H:24 cm x W:32 cm Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:24 cm x ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Animal Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Pen

The Thunder of Hooves
By Garth Bayley
Located in Deddington, GB
The thunder of Hooves . Horse racing . Garth Bayley [2022] original Pen and Ink Image size: H:24 cm x W:32 cm Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:24 cm x W:32 cm x D:0.1cm Sold Unf...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Pen

Animal Surrealist Painting Royal College of Art LGBTQ+ artist Circle Life Blue
By Isabel Rock
Located in Norfolk, GB
Isabel Rock is a creator of contemporary fairy tales. A graduate of the Royal College of Art in London, her work is an explosion of strange occurrences while a surreal narrative takes the audience on a journey into the imagination. Hugely inspired by Paula Rego, Isabel Rock is part of a formidable group of women artists (Leonora Carrington and Eileen Agar amongst others) working with Surrealism. In October 2023 Isabel won the Evelyn Williams...
Category

2010s Surrealist Animal Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paint, Archival Paper, Pen, Ink

Recently Viewed

View All