Walter Crane
1845-1915

English painter, designer, and illustrator; best known for his illustrations of children's books in a deliberately archaic style. Born in Liverpool, he studied miniature painting and wood engraving in his youth and was apprenticed to W.J.Linton. His paintings and book illustrations were influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites and by Japanese prints.

With the designer William Morris he was a leader in the Arts and Crafts movement, which sought to reform the decorative arts. Crane founded the Arts & Crafts Exhibition Society in 1888, becoming their first President. The object of the body was to assist in the revival of the art and handicrafts currently occurring, and to draw attention to the craftsmen involved.

Crane designed wallpapers, most notably "Sleeping Beauty" and "Swan Rush and Iris." These beautiful papers were produced by Jeffrey & Co.

Walter Crane also illustrated books for William Morris and other publishers including The Frog Prince (1874), Household Stories from Grimm (1882), and his masterpiece, Edmund Spenser's Faerie Queene (1894-1896). He illustrated 50 complete books between 1865 and 1886 and continued with at least two books a year until the end of the century. By 1869 Crane had evolved his personal and distinctive manner of illustration and was not only signing his work but his books were issued by the publishers in a separate category under the heading "Walter Crane Toy Books." His books are rather collectable but because of the huge print runs are still relatively easily available. His designs are also found in many periodicals of the day, and crop up in exhibitions of arts and crafts, for example in the William Morris Gallery.