ORACE KNOWLES, DESPITE NOT ACHIEVING THE GREAT COMMERCIAL SUCCESSES OF his contemporaries, was one of the most talented artists of the Golden Age. Once, in a letter begging him to illustrate another of her books, Enid Blyton could “think of no other artist so capable of feeling.” Today, Knowles is remembered chiefly for his timeless depictions of Fairyland and his edition of the Bible, but he was an artist of great versa- tility and ability, reflected in his prolific output over forty years as a profes- sional illustrator. His personal archive, an extensive collection of original illustrations, entire book mock-ups, preparatory sketches and published examples of his work, shows his passion for the beautiful, well-designed book, with watercol- our, line, calligraphy and decoration all executed in his hand. Horace Knowles was the fourth and youngest child in an artistic family. His father Ebenezer Caleb Knowles, who hailed from Worcester- shire and came to London as a young man, was a poet, playwright and mu- sician. Though he never earned enough to live by his art, supplementing his earnings with clerical work, Ebenezer had his first book of verse published when just eighteen years old (much of it having been composed five years earlier) and followed it with three further volumes and a tragic play titled Wild Notes . In later life he taught the violin, and a family biography by Hor-
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