Harold Edward Hughes Nelson (22 May 1871 – 25 February 1948) was an artist,

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 complicate ...

, designer of

bookplates An , also known as a bookplate (or book-plate, as it was commonly styled until the early 20th century), is a printed or decorative label pasted into a book, often on the front endpaper, to indicate ownership. Simple typographical bookplates are ...

, advertisements and postage stamps,

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

etcher Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...

and engraver, and lecturer. He signed his works with the initials N. or H.N.

Life

Nelson was born in Dorchester a town where Nelsons had lived since the 18th century, one of four children. He studied at both the

Lambeth School of Art Founded in 1854 as the Lambeth School of Art, the City and Guilds of London Art School is a small specialist art college located in central London, England. Originally founded as a government art school, it is now an independent, not-for-profit ...

and the Central School of Arts and Design—at the latter under Luke Taylor. He lived in London for most of his life - mainly in

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, which today also gives its name to the (much larger) London Borough of Lambeth. Lambeth itself was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charin ...

and

Clapham Clapham () is a district in south London, south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (including Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Ea ...

- then

Brockenhurst Brockenhurst is the largest village by population within the New Forest in Hampshire, England. The nearest city is Southampton some to the north-east, while Bournemouth is also nearby, south-west. Surrounding towns and villages include Beaul ...

(in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

), and

Carshalton Carshalton ( ) is a town, with a historic village centre, in south London, England, within the London Borough of Sutton. It is situated around southwest of Charing Cross and around east by north of Sutton town centre, in the valley of the Rive ...

(in SW London) between 1902 and 1906. Nelson was strongly influenced by

Albrecht Dürer Albrecht Dürer ( , ;; 21 May 1471 – 6 April 1528),Müller, Peter O. (1993) ''Substantiv-Derivation in Den Schriften Albrecht Dürers'', Walter de Gruyter. . sometimes spelled in English as Durer or Duerer, was a German painter, Old master prin ...

and

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was an English textile designer, poet, artist, writer, and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts movement. He was a major contributor to the revival of traditiona ...

, and was prolific as a "black and white artist" specialising in medieval illustrations in a Pre-Raphaelite,

Arts and Crafts The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the Decorative arts, decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and ...

and

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

style, often with elaborate ornamental borders. Nelson's provided illustrations for a number of books (see below) and also magazines such as: ''The Studio'', ''

The Graphic ''The Graphic'' was a British weekly illustrated newspaper, first published on 4 December 1869 by William Luson Thomas's company, Illustrated Newspapers Ltd with Thomas's brother, Lewis Samuel Thomas, as a co-founder. The Graphic was set up as ...

'' (1915), '' The Sphere'', ''The Queen'', ''Ladies Field'', ''London Illustrated Weekly'', ''Magazine of Art'' (designed a calendar for 1901), ''

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

Pictures'' (illustrated the cover, 1908), ''Old Colleges of Oxford'', ''Aymer Vallance'' (illustrated the frontispiece, 1912), ''The Booklovers Magazine'', ''The Bookplate'', ''Cassells Magazine'' etc. He is best known for his

and heraldic designs, the first one appearing in 1897, inspired by Dürer. Commissioned by individuals and institutions, his designs were carefully matched to the name or character of the owner. ''The Studio'', in a review of 1900, wrote of his work, "''…bright and spirited, while in beauty of drawing it would be hard to find their equals among modern book-plates.''" Although Nelson trained in the traditions of

, as a commercial artist he adapted his style to each new movement as it came along. In the 1920s and 1930s he worked in an

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

style, his most notable designs being the Wembley Lion with a 'setting sun' motif on

the British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts establish ...

postage stamp A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail). Then the stamp is affixed to the f ...

s of 1924 and 1925. However, his drawing of

St George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the R ...

and the Dragon for the £1 stamp for the Postal Union Congress, 1929, harks back to his earlier style. Nelson illustrated several books including one authored by the Queen of Romania: ''A Real Queen's Fairy Tales'' under the pseudonym '

Carmen Sylva Elisabeth of Wied (Pauline Elisabeth Ottilie Luise; 29 December 18432 March 1916) was the first Queen of Romania as the wife of King Carol I from 15 March 1881 to 27 September 1914. She had been the princess consort of Romania since her marria ...

' (published in 1901). The illustrations were described in ''The Studio'' as "clever, powerful and beautiful". His other commercial activities involved designing advertisements for

Cadbury's Cadbury, formerly Cadbury's and Cadbury Schweppes, is a British multinational corporation, multinational confectionery company owned by Mondelez International (spun off from Kraft Foods, Inc., Kraft Foods) since 2010. It is the second-largest c ...

Pears Soap Pears Glycerin soap is a British brand of soap first produced and sold in 1807 by Andrew Pears, at a factory just off Oxford Street in London. It was the world's first mass-market translucent soap. Under the stewardship of advertising pioneer T ...

Dewar's Dewar's () is a brand of blended Scotch whisky manufactured by John Dewar & Sons, Ltd., a unit of Bacardi Ltd. History The Dewar's whisky brand was created by John Dewar, Sr. in 1846. Under the control of his two sons, John A. Dewar Jr. an ...

and

Selfridges Selfridges, also known as Selfridges & Co., is a chain of upmarket department stores in the United Kingdom that is operated by Selfridges Retail Limited. It was founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge in 1908. The historic Daniel Burnham-designed Self ...

etc. He also produced artwork for numerous calendars. Nelson was the Secretary of the

Art Workers Guild The Art Workers' Guild is an organisation established in 1884 by a group of British painters, sculptors, architects, and designers associated with the ideas of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement. The guild promoted the 'unity of al ...

for a number of years and several examples of his work and a pencil portrait of Nelson by the artist Ester Borough Johnson (

fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...

1896–1940) can still be seen at its headquarters in Queens Square, London. There, Nelson (and his wife Margaret) became friends with

Charles Robert Ashbee Charles Robert Ashbee (17 May 1863 – 23 May 1942) was an English architect and designer who was a prime mover of the Arts and Crafts movement, which took its craft ethic from the works of John Ruskin and its co-operative structure from the soci ...

, the designer, author and entrepreneur who was influential in the English

Arts and Crafts movement The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and America. Initiat ...

. After Nelson's death, his wife Margaret took over the duties as secretary of the Guild. Nelson was also a member of the

Society of Graphic Art The Society of Graphic Fine Art (known until 1988 as the Society of Graphic Art) is a British arts organisation dedicated to drawing in all of its forms, established in 1919. History The Society of Graphic Art was founded in 1919 by Frank Lewis ...

(SGA). He died suddenly in 1948, aged 77, in

Regent Street Regent Street is a major shopping street in the West End of London. It is named after George IV of the United Kingdom, George, the Prince Regent (later George IV) and was laid out under the direction of the architect John Nash (architect), J ...

, London - leaving a widow and a daughter, Winifrede.*Obituary in "The Times" - 28 February 1948.

Works

Harold Nelson illustrated the following works: *La Motte Fouque. ''Undine and Aslauga's Knight'' (George Newnes Ltd., London, 1901). *

.
A Real Queen's Fairy Tales
' (Davis and Company, Chicago, 1901). *Harold Nelson. ''Harold Nelson: his book of book-plates consisting of 24 original designs.'' (Edinburgh, Otto Schulze & Company, 1904). *Harold Nelson. ''Reproductions of twenty-five designs for book plates.''(Otto Schulze & Co., 1910). *Harold Nelson. ''Bookplates by Harold Nelson'' (B.T. Batsford, Ltd. 1929). *Harold Nelson. ''The noble birth and gallant achievements of that remarkable outlaw Robin Hood : together with a true account of the many merry & extravagant exploits he play'd, in twelve several stories, newly collected into one volume by an ingenious antiquvary.'' (O Schulze & company, 1906). *Harold Nelson. ''Three Famous English Romances'' (Otto Schulz & Co., 1913) * William J. Thoms. ''The Gallant Atchievements of Robin Hood; The Famous History of Friar Bacon; The Romance of Robert The Devill'' (Otto Schulze and Co., 1910). * William J. Thoms. ''Early English Prose Romances'' (Schulze & Co., 1904) *Wiggin, Kate Douglas & Smith, Nora Archibald (eds).
The Talking Beasts : A Book of Fable Wisdom
' (Doubleday Page & Co., 1911). *Various, ''The British Girl's Annual 1917'' (Cassell, 1916). *Various. ''The Bookplate Magazine'' - Nos 1, 2, 3 & 5. (The Morland Press, 1919–1920). *James Guthrie (Editor). ''The Bookplate. Being no.3 of the Journal of The English Bookplate Society'' (The Pear Tree Press, 1921). *Alfred Fowler, (Editor). ''The Bookplate Annual for 1922 & 1923.'' (self-published 1922 & 1923). *White, Gleeson. ''Modern Bookplates and their Designers.'' (The Studio, Special Winter Number, 1898–1899) *Charles Holme (Ed.) ''Modern Pen Drawings : European and American.'' (The Studio, London, 1901). *''The Studio Magazine.'
Vol 39
(pp 349, 351);

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography

*Benezit, E. ''Dictionnaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs''. *Fincham, H. W. ''The Art of the Bookplate'' (1897). *Various. ''The Studio. A Magazine of Fine and

Applied Art The applied arts are all the arts that apply design and decoration to everyday and essentially practical objects in order to make them aesthetically pleasing."Applied art" in ''The Oxford Dictionary of Art''. Online edition. Oxford Univ ...

'' (1896–1925). *Hornung, Clarence. P. (ed). ''Bookplates by Harold Nelson'' (1929). *Peppin, Brigid. ''Fantasy Book Illustration, 1860-1920'' (Studio Vista, 1975 - p189) *Lee, Brian North. ''British Bookplates'' (David & Charles, 1979). *Peppin. B. & Micklethwaite. T. ''Book Illustrators of the 20th Century'' (1984). *Beasley, Maureen. Five Centuries of Artists in Sutton. SLAAS. 1989. *Osterwalder, Marcus. ''Dictionnaire Des Illustrateurs 1900–14'' (Editions Ides et Calendes, 1989). *Houfe, Simon. ''The Dictionary of 19th Century British Book Illustrators'' (Antique Collectors' Club Ltd; 2nd edition (1 Jan 1999). {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Harold, Edward Hughes 1871 births 1948 deaths English illustrators People from Dorchester, Dorset Alumni of the Lambeth School of Art British stamp designers Art Nouveau illustrators