Alfred Ambrose Chew Leete (1882–1933) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

graphic artist. Born at Thorpe Achurch,

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

, he studied at Kingsholme School and The School of Science and Art (now Weston College) in

Weston-super-Mare Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmix ...

, before moving to London in 1899 and taking a post as an artist with a

printer Printer may refer to: Technology * Printer (publishing), a person or a company * Printer (computing), a hardware device * Optical printer for motion picture films People * Nariman Printer (fl. c. 1940), Indian journalist and activist * James ...

. His career as a paid artist began in 1897, when the ''

Daily Graphic ''The Daily Graphic: An Illustrated Evening Newspaper'' was the first American newspaper with daily illustrations. It was founded in New York City in 1873 by Canadian engravers George-Édouard Desbarats and William Leggo, and began publication ...

'' accepted one of his drawings. Later, he contributed regularly to a number of magazines, including ''Punch'', the '' Strand Magazine'' and ''

Tatler ''Tatler'' is a British magazine published by Condé Nast Publications focusing on fashion and lifestyle, as well as coverage of high society and politics. It is targeted towards the British upper-middle class and upper class, and those interes ...

''. As a commercial artist he designed numerous posters and advertisements, especially in the 1910s and 1920s, for such brands as

Rowntree's Rowntree's is a British confectionery brand and former business based in York, England. Rowntree developed the Kit Kat (introduced in 1935), Aero (introduced in 1935), Fruit Pastilles (introduced in 1881), Smarties (introduced in 1937) brands ...

, Guinness and

Bovril Bovril is the trademarked name of a thick and salty meat extract paste similar to a yeast extract, developed in the 1870s by John Lawson Johnston. It is sold in a distinctive bulbous jar, and as cubes and granules. Bovril is owned and distrib ...

, and his series of advertisements for the

Underground Electric Railways Company The Underground Electric Railways Company of London Limited (UERL), known operationally as the Underground for much of its existence, was established in 1902. It was the holding company for the three deep-level "tube"A "tube" railway is an und ...

(the

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The ...

) are very well known. His work as a wartime propagandist includes the poster for which he is most renowned, the Lord Kitchener poster design, which first appeared on the cover of the weekly magazine ''

London Opinion ''London Opinion and Today'', often known as ''London Opinion'', was a British magazine published from 1903 until 1954, when it was merged with Pearson's '' Men Only''. It ran weekly from 26 December 1903 to 27 June 1931, and was then published m ...

'' on 5 September 1914. "His prolific output was characterized by its humour, keen observation of the everyday, and an eye for strong design." During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Leete also drew two comics ''Schmidt the Spy'' and ''The Bosch Book'', which ridiculed the German army. Alfred Leete - London Sketch Club invite 1921

Leete died of a seizure, following a heart attack, at his home in Pembroke Square, London, in 1933. He had suffered from high blood pressure and heart trouble, and had been taken ill three weeks earlier in Italy. The Rome Express was stopped at Genoa to allow him to return to England. In 2004, his work was displayed in his native

Weston Weston may refer to: Places Australia * Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Weston, New South Wales * Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra * Weston Park, Canberra, a park Canada * Weston, Nova Scotia * ...

, at the

Weston Museum Weston Museum is a museum in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, England. It was established in 1861. and is home to North Somerset Council museum collection with exhibits relating to Weston-super-Mare and the surrounding area from 400 milli ...

References

1882 births 1933 deaths British graphic designers British poster artists British cartoonists British comics artists Advertising artists and illustrators People from North Northamptonshire Artists' Rifles soldiers {{UK-illustrator-stub