Harry Rountree (26 January 1878''1939 England and Wales Register'' – 26 September 1950) was a prolific

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complic ...

working in England around the turn of the 20th century. Born in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

, New Zealand, he moved to London in 1901, when he was 23 years old.

Life

Harry Rountree was born in 1878 to Irish banker, Stephen Gilbert Rountree and Julia Bartley, the niece of New Zealand architect

Edward Bartley Edward Bartley (23 February 1839 – 28 May 1919) was a Jersey-born New Zealand architect. Beginning as a builder, Bartley transitioned into a career as an architect, not an uncommon occurrence in the 19th century. He is responsible for design ...

. Rountree was educated at Auckland's Queen's College, and began working at Wilson and Horton Printers in the city, designing show-cards, advertisements, and product labels. He progressed to become special artist for the '' Auckland Weekly News'', published by Wilson and Horton, with his earliest signed drawings, quite serious in tone and subject matter, appearing in 1899. New Zealand formed part of the readership of the London periodical press at this time and Rountree developed the ambition to join the ranks of its most prominent illustrators. As he later stated in an interview with A B Cooper for ''The Boy's Own Paper'': The first stage to realizing his ambition came with his departure from his employer at the beginning of March 1901: He travelled to England on the

Orient Line The Orient Steam Navigation Company, also known as the Orient Line, was a British shipping company with roots going back to the late 18th century. From the early 20th century onwards, an association began with P&O which became 51% shareholde ...

steamship ''RMS Omrah'', taking with him a portfolio of his work to impress British art editors. Going via the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popula ...

, he left Sydney on 10 April 1901 with members of the New Zealand bowling team. His sketches of one of their number, J V Dingle, completed on arrival in London, were sent home for publication by his former employer. Rather than travel by ship the whole way, Rountree added a Continental flavour to the close of his journey, as was described for the ''

New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation of all newspapers ...

'' by "Our own correspondent. London, June 8": At that time the market for magazine illustration was flourishing: Although Rountree contributed many illustrations to ''The King'' magazine in mid-late 1901, he struggled to make very much progress towards his objective. His first encounters with art editors provided him with few commissions and little encouragement, so he enrolled in the life drawing class under Percival Gaskell at the Regent Street Polytechnic's School of Art for the academic year 1901-02. He was awarded a second-class pass in July 1902, but by that time had already met Sam Hield Hamer, editor of ''Little Folks'' magazine, who invited him to illustrate his story Extracts from the Diary of a Duckling'''. By this fortunate meeting, Rountree discovered his forte in animal illustration, which he developed by frequent sketching visits to London Zoo. It was after this commission that Rountree's career began to flourish and he became in demand as an illustrator. Rountree is noted for his illustrations of British golf courses and golfing caricatures. His work features in publications such as ''

The Strand Magazine ''The Strand Magazine'' was a monthly British magazine founded by George Newnes, composed of short fiction and general interest articles. It was published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950, running to 711 issues, though the ...

'', ''

Cassell's Magazine ''Cassell's Magazine'' is a British magazine that was published monthly from 1897 to 1912. It was the successor to ''Cassell's Illustrated Family Paper'', (1853–1867) becoming ''Cassell's Family Magazine'' in 1874, ''Cassell's Magazine'' in 1897 ...

'', '' Pearson's'', ''

The Sketch ''The Sketch'' was a British illustrated weekly journal. It ran for 2,989 issues between 1 February 1893 and 17 June 1959. It was published by the Illustrated London News Company and was primarily a society magazine with regular features on roy ...

'', ''

The Illustrated London News ''The Illustrated London News'' appeared first on Saturday 14 May 1842, as the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine. Founded by Herbert Ingram, it appeared weekly until 1971, then less frequently thereafter, and ceased publication i ...

'', ''Playtime'', ''Little Folks'', and many others. Rountree was one of the leading illustrators selected by

Percy Bradshaw Percy Venner Bradshaw (27 November 1877 – 13 October 1965), who often signed PVB, was a British illustrator who also created the Press Art School, a correspondence course for drawing. Biography Percy Bradshaw was born in Hackney, part of Lo ...

for inclusion in his '' The Art of the Illustrator'' (1917-1918) which presented a separate portfolio for each of twenty illustrators. Rountree also served as a consultant at the

's Press Art School, a school teaching painting, drawing, and illustration by correspondence. The consultants gave feedback on the work submitted by the students. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, he served as a captain in the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is head ...

. Rountree produced well-liked cartoons for the magazine ''

Punch Punch commonly refers to: * Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist * Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice Punch may also refer to: Places * Pu ...

'' from 1905 to 1939, and also created advertising, posters and book illustrations for writers such as

P. G. Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, ( ; 15 October 188114 February 1975) was an English author and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Jeeve ...

and

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

Death

Harry Rountree died of cancer in the West Cornwall Hospital, Penzance, Cornwall on 26 September 1950, aged 72 years, being survived by his wife and two children. Fellow artist Bernard Ninnes wrote an appreciation of his work to accompany his obituary in the ''St Ives Times'':

As an artist he stood alone in his own sphere as the supreme delineator of bird and animal life. His drawings and paintings in this specialised field bore the authentic stamp of deepest study and intimate familiarity of these subjects; the expression of anatomical diversity, with the constructional variety of fur and feather revealed the sum of a lifetime's keenest observation...To his animals and birds he often gave a whimsical or semi-human twist which has made them loved by generations of children... When first I knew him some twenty years ago at the London Sketch Club and The Savage his charming personality, the wit of his drawings and rare ability as a raconteur made him outstanding in a group which included such names as John Hassall, W Heath Robinson and Lawson Wood. He was one of the grand company of illustrators of the Edwardian and first Georgian period eorge V 1910-1936 a time when illustration had reached a pinnacle of excellence, and Harry Rountree was in the van.

The probate valuation of his estate was £4581 1s 7d. A commemorative bronze plaque by the sculptor W. C. H. King was erected on Smeaton's Pier, St Ives for his contribution to the artistic and civic life of the town.

Selected works

Periodicals

By title, including annuals, containing Harry Rountree's illustrations within the years (not necessarily all) indicated. A representative sample from a total in excess of 100. Source: * '' Auckland Weekly News'', Wilson and Horton, 1899-1936 * ''Blackie's Children's Annual'',

Blackie and Son Blackie & Son was a publishing house in Glasgow, Scotland, and London, England, from 1809 to 1991. History The firm was founded as a bookseller in 1809 by John Blackie (1782–1874) as a partnership with two others and was known as 'Black ...

, 1913-1935 * ''

Blighty "Blighty" is a British English slang term for Great Britain, or often specifically England.

'', W. Speaight & Sons, 1916-1917; 1939-1943 * '' The Boy's Own Paper'',

Religious Tract Society The Religious Tract Society was a British evangelical Christian organization founded in 1799 and known for publishing a variety of popular religious and quasi-religious texts in the 19th century. The society engaged in charity as well as commerci ...

, 1902-1944 * ''

Bystander Bystander may refer to: In media * ''Bystander'' (novel), a 1930 novel by Maxim Gorki * ''Bystander'' (magazine), was a British weekly tabloid magazine *''Guilty Bystander'', a 1950 independent film production * ''Innocent Bystanders'' (film), ...

'', H. R. Baines & Co., 1903-1930 * ''

The Captain ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'',

George Newnes Sir George Newnes, 1st Baronet (13 March 1851 – 9 June 1910) was a British publisher and editor and a founding figure in popular journalism. Newnes also served as a Liberal Party Member of Parliament for two decades. His company, George Newne ...

, 1901-1923 * ''Cassell's Children's Annual'',

Cassell Cassell may refer to: Companies * ''Cassell Military Paperbacks'', an imprint of Orion Publishing Group * ''Cassell's National Library'' * Cassell (publisher) (Cassell Illustrated or Cassell & Co.), a British book publisher now owned by the Orion ...

, 1916-1933 * ''Fry's Magazine'', George Newnes, 1905-1914 * ''Golf Illustrated'', Golf Illustrated, 1909-1932 * ''The Humorist'', George Newnes, 1922-1929 * ''Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic News'', Illustrated Newspapers, 1911-1932 * ''I Pass This On To You'', Women's Gas Council, 1940-1951 * ''Joy Street'',

Basil Blackwell Sir Basil Henry Blackwell (29 May 18899 April 1984) was born in Oxford, England. He was the son of Benjamin Henry Blackwell (18491924), founder of Blackwell's bookshop in Oxford, which went on to become the Blackwell family's publishing and books ...

, 1924-1936 * ''The King'', George Newnes, 1901-1902 * ''Little Folks'', Cassell, 1902-1933 * ''

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 ...

'', George Newnes, 1909-1931 * ''The Merry-Go-Round'', Basil Blackwell, 1923-1939 * ''Little Dots, Our Little Dots/Little Dots'', RTS, 1928-1936 * ''The Passing Show'', Odhams, 1915-1934 * ''

Pearson's Magazine ''Pearson's Magazine'' was a monthly periodical that first appeared in Britain in 1896. A US version began publication in 1899. It specialised in speculative literature, political discussion, often of a socialist bent, and the arts. Its contribut ...

'', Pearson, 1905-1935 * ''Playtime'',

Amalgamated Press The Amalgamated Press (AP) was a British newspaper and magazine publishing company founded by journalist and entrepreneur Alfred Harmsworth (1865–1922) in 1901, gathering his many publishing ventures together under one banner. At one point the ...

, 1919-1920 * ''The Prize'', Wells Gardner, Darton and Co., 1910-1933 * ''

Punch, or the London Charivari ''Punch, or The London Charivari'' was a British weekly magazine of humour and satire established in 1841 by Henry Mayhew and wood-engraver Ebenezer Landells. Historically, it was most influential in the 1840s and 1850s, when it helped to coin ...

'', Punch Office, 1906-1939 * ''

The Quiver ''The Quiver'' (18611956) was a weekly magazine published by Cassell's and was "designed for the defence and promotion of biblical truth and the advance of religion in the homes of the people." History John Cassell (18171865), the English pub ...

'', Cassell, 1903-1932 * ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves ...

'', BBC, 1929-1944 * ''

The Red Magazine ''The Harmsworth Red Magazine'', also known as ''Harmsworth's Red Magazine'' or just ''The Red Magazine'', was a fiction magazine published by Alfred Harmsworth's Amalgamated Press in 620 issues from June 1908 to September 1939. It was edited by J ...

'', Amalgamated Press, 1910-1920 * ''

The Royal Magazine ''The Royal Magazine'' was a monthly British literary magazine that was published between 1898 and 1939. Its founder and publisher was Sir Arthur Pearson. ''The Royal Magazines first edition was published in November 1898. According to this iss ...

'', Pearson, 1904-1922 * ''

'', Illustrated London News & Sketch, 1905-1942 * ''

'', George Newnes, 1902-1930 * ''Sunday Reading for the Young'', Wells Gardner, Darton, and Co., 1902-1915 * ''

The 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 ...

'', Nineteen Hundred Publishing, 1904-1937 * ''Tiny Tots'', Cassell, 1907-1926 * ''

The Wide World Magazine ''The Wide World Magazine'' was a British monthly illustrated publication which ran from April 1898 to December 1965. ...

'', George Newnes, 1902-1924 * ''Wonderland Annual'', Amalgamated Press, 1920-1929 * ''Zoo'', Odhams, 1936-1938

Books

Illustrated, and occasionally authored or co-authored, by Harry Rountree. A representative sample from a total, with editions, numbering in excess of 400. Source:''Studies in Illustration'' No. 62, Imaginative Book Illustration Society (Spring 2016). * Harry Rountree, ''The Animal Game Book'',

George Allen George Allen may refer to: Politics and law * George E. Allen (1896–1973), American political operative and one-time head coach of the Cumberland University football team * George Allen (Australian politician) (1800–1877), Mayor of Sydney and ...

, 1903 * Harry Rountree, ''The Child's Book of Knowledge'', Grant Richards, 1903 * Harry Rountree & S H Hamer, ''Quackles Junior'', Cassell, 1903 * Harry A. Spurr (ed.), ''Fairy Tales by Dumas'',

Frederick A. Stokes Frederick Abbott Stokes (November 4, 1857 – November 15, 1939) was an American publisher, founder and long-time head of the eponymous Frederick A. Stokes Company. Biography Stokes graduated from Yale Law School in 1879. He worked at Dodd, Mead ...

, 1904 * Harry Rountree & S H Hamer, ''Archibald's Amazing Adventure, Or, The Tip-top Tale'', Cassell, 1905 *

E. Nesbit Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland; 15 August 1858 – 4 May 1924) was an English writer and poet, who published her books for children as E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on more than 60 such books. She was also a political activist a ...

, ''Pug Peter'',

Alf Cooke The Alf Cooke printworks is a grade II listed former industrial building by Thomas Ambler, now the Printworks Campus of Leeds City College in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was built in 1881 and rebuilt after a fire in 1894. Alf Cooke Alf ...

, 1905 * S H Hamer & Harry Rountree, ''The Young Gullivers'', Cassell, 1906 * Amy Steadman (ed.), ''Stories from Grimm'', T C & E C Jack, 1906 *

Joel Chandler Harris Joel Chandler Harris (December 9, 1848 – July 3, 1908) was an American journalist, fiction writer, and folklorist best known for his collection of Uncle Remus stories. Born in Eatonton, Georgia, where he served as an apprentice on a planta ...

, ''Uncle Remus'', Thomas Nelson, 1906 * J James Ridge, ''Toksikatem Castle'', S W Partridge, 1906 * Harry Rountree, ''Harry Rountree's Annual'', Cassell, 1907 *

Alton Towers Alton Towers Resort ( ) (often referred to as Alton Towers) is a theme park and resort complex in Staffordshire, England, near the village of Alton. The park is operated by Merlin Entertainments Group and incorporates a theme park, water pa ...

, ''Billy Bunce'', Alf Cooke, 1907 * G. E. Mitton (ed.), ''

The Swiss Family Robinson ''The Swiss Family Robinson'' (German: ''Der Schweizerische Robinson'') is a novel by Johann David Wyss, first published in 1812, about a Swiss family of immigrants whose ship en route to Port Jackson, Australia, goes off course and is shipwr ...

'',

A & C Black A & C Black is a British book publishing company, owned since 2002 by Bloomsbury Publishing. The company is noted for publishing '' Who's Who'' since 1849. It also published popular travel guides and novels. History The firm was founded in 18 ...

, 1907 * Bertram Atkey, ''Folk of the Wild'', Grant Richards, 1907 *

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are '' Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequ ...

, ''

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creature ...

'', Thomas Nelson, 1908 * S H Hamer, ''The Forest Foundling'',

Duckworth Duckworth may refer to: * Duckworth (surname), people with the surname ''Duckworth'' * Duckworth (''DuckTales''), fictional butler from the television series ''DuckTales'' * Duckworth Books, a British publishing house * , a frigate * Duckworth, W ...

, 1908 * S H Hamer, ''The Dolomites'', Methuen, 1910 *

Bernard Darwin Bernard Richard Meirion Darwin CBE JP (7 September 1876 − 18 October 1961) a grandson of the British naturalist Charles Darwin, was a golf writer and high-standard amateur golfer. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Biography B ...

, ''The Golf Courses of the British Isles'', Duckworth, 1910 * Baldwin S Harvey, ''The Magic Dragon'', Duckworth, 1911 * various writers, ''The Spell of the Open Air'', T N Foulis, c.1912 * Richard Jefferies, ''Bevis, The Story of a Boy'', Duckworth, 1913 * Charles S Bayne (ed.), ''My Book of Best Fairy Tales'', Cassell, 1915 * Harry Rountree, ''Rountree's Ridiculous Rabbits (1 & 2)'', H Stevenson, 1916 *

Christine Chaundler Christine Chaundler (5 September 1887 – 15 December 1972) was a prolific English children's author, who also wrote stories for boys as Peter Martin. Some of her hundreds of short stories were broadcast by the BBC. Life Born in Biggleswade, B ...

, ''Little Squirrel Tickletail'', Cassell, 1917 *

Albert Bigelow Paine Albert Bigelow Paine (July 10, 1861 – April 9, 1937) was an American author and biographer best known for his work with Mark Twain. Paine was a member of the Pulitzer Prize Committee and wrote in several genres, including fiction, humor, and v ...

, ''The Arkansaw Bear'', George G. Harrap, 1919 * Sir William Schooling, ''The Hudson's Bay Company 1670-1920'', HBC, 1920 * Blanche Winder (retold by), ''

Aesop's Fables Aesop's Fables, or the Aesopica, is a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a slave and storyteller believed to have lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 564 BCE. Of diverse origins, the stories associated with his name have descended to ...

'', Ward, Lock, 1924 * ''Who's Who at the Zoo'', Dean's Rag Book Co., 1925 * Mabel Marlowe, ''Lazy Lob'',

, 1926 * Lewis Carroll, ''Alice in Wonderland &

Through the Looking Glass ''Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There'' (also known as ''Alice Through the Looking-Glass'' or simply ''Through the Looking-Glass'') is a novel published on 27 December 1871 (though indicated as 1872) by Lewis Carroll and the ...

'', Collins Clear-Type Press, 1928 * Hector Bolitho, ''The New Zealanders'',

J. M. Dent Joseph Malaby Dent (30 August 1849 – 9 May 1926) was a British book publisher who produced the Everyman's Library series. Early life Dent was born in Darlington in what is now part of the Grade II listed Britannia Inn. After a short and ...

, 1928 * Richard P Russ, ''Caesar, The Life Story of a Panda Leopard'', G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1930 * Lynda Rountree, ''Ronald, Rupert and Reg'',

Frederick Warne Frederick Warne (13 October 1825 – 17 November 1901) was a British publisher, founder of Frederick Warne & Co. Early life and career Warne was born in Westminster in 1825, sixth and youngest son of the twelve children of Edmund Warne, a build ...

, 1930 * L & H Rountree and C E Bradley, ''Dicky Duck & Wonderful Walter'', Frederick Warne, 1931 * Olwen Bowen, ''Beetles and Things'', Elkin Mathews, 1931 * ''

'', Collins, Children's Press, 1934 * ''A Book about Animals'', Blackie & Son, 1934 * Peter Lawless (ed.), ''The Golfer's Companion'', J M Dent, 1937 * ''High Jinks'', Birn Brothers, 1937 *

Olive Dehn Olive Marie Dehn (29 September 1914 – 21 March 2007) was an English children's writer, anarchist, farmer and poet who was active from the 1930s to the 2000s. She began her writing career with a satirical poem in German, and wrote stories for t ...

, ''The Nixie from Rotterdam'', Basil Blackwell, 1937 * Viola Bayley, ''The Ways of Wonderland'', James Nisbet, 1937 *

Enid Blyton Enid Mary Blyton (11 August 1897 – 28 November 1968) was an English children's writer, whose books have been worldwide bestsellers since the 1930s, selling more than 600 million copies. Her books are still enormously popular and have b ...

, ''The Children of Cherry Tree Farm'', Country Life, 1940 * Enid Blyton, ''The Secret Mountain'', Basil Blackwell, 1941 * Christine Chaundler, ''The Odd Ones'', Country Life, 1941 * ''Little Things'', WHC H Cornelius c.1944 *

Charles Heslop Charles Heslop (8 June 1883 in Thames Ditton, England – 13 April 1966) was a British actor. His stage successes include a musical version of '' Tons of Money'', which toured Australia for Hugh J. Ward in 1924, co-starring Dot Brunton. H ...

, ''The Farmyard in Spring'' ne of four c.1945 * Winifred Humphreys, ''Wog & Wig'', Franklyn Ward & Wheeler, 1947 * Hugh Gardner, ''Bruno Bear'', Edmund Ward, 1951

Notes

References

External links

* * * * (3 "from old catalog") *An article and full bibliography by Michael Pirie is contained in Studies in Illustration nos 59-63 published by the Imaginative Book Illustration Society www.bookillustration.org *Rountree, Harry in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography {{DEFAULTSORT:Rountree, Harry People from Auckland New Zealand illustrators British illustrators New Zealand children's book illustrators British children's book illustrators 20th-century illustrators of fairy tales 1878 births 1950 deaths