Irene Bass Sutton Wellington (1904–1984) was an influential British calligrapher and teacher of

calligraphy Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...

Early life

Born in

Lydd Lydd is a town and electoral ward in Kent, England, lying on Romney Marsh. It is one of the larger settlements on the marsh, and the most southerly town in Kent. Lydd reached the height of its prosperity during the 13th century, when it was a ...

, Kent, in 1904, Irene Bass attended Ashford County School, and later Maidstone School of Art, where she began her study of calligraphy in 1921. She was influenced by

Edward Johnston Edward Johnston, CBE (San José de Mayo, Uruguay 11 February 1872 – 26 November 1944) was a British craftsman who is regarded, with Rudolf Koch, as the father of modern calligraphy, in the particular form of the broad-edged pen as a ...

's book, ''Writing & Illuminating & Lettering'' (1906). In 1925 she won a Royal Exhibition scholarship to the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public university, public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City, London, White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design uni ...

, where Johnston taught, and earned a diploma with a specialty in calligraphy. She was his assistant at the Royal College of Art in 1928.

Career

In 1929, Irene Bass was elected a Craft Member of the

Society of Scribes and Illuminators The Society of Scribes & Illuminators is an organisation dedicated to the promotion and development of the arts of calligraphy and illumination. The SSI was founded in the United Kingdom in 1921 by former students of leading calligrapher Edwa ...

. In 1930, she married her cousin, Ernest John Sutton, and moved to Edinburgh. Shortly thereafter, she began work on her first major commission, "The

Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was a light infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until 1958, serving in the Second Boer War, World War I and World War II. The regiment was formed as a consequence of th ...

Roll of Honour for the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

." Edward Johnston recommended Irene Sutton as an instructor to Hubert Wellington, the principal of the

Edinburgh College of Art Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) is one of eleven schools in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. Tracing its history back to 1760, it provides higher education in art and design, architecture, histor ...

. She taught there from 1932 to 1943; one of her students at Edinburgh was Tom Gourdie. Her marriage to Jack Sutton was annulled in September 1944, allowing her to marry Hubert Wellington a few months later. She moved with him to

Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire Henley-on-Thames ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish on the River Thames, in the South Oxfordshire district, in Oxfordshire, England, northeast of Reading, Berkshire, Reading, west of M ...

. Irene Wellington then began the most significant phase of her career, undertaking major commissions and teaching for the

Central School of Arts and Crafts The Central School of Art and Design was a art school, school of fine arts, fine and applied arts in London, England. It offered foundation and degree level courses. It was established in 1896 by the London County Council as the Central School ...

in London from 1944 to 1959. Among her students, there were Donald Jackson and Ann Hechle. Although she produced a large body of work for private clients and personal acquaintances during this period, she also received several significant public commissions. Her last major public commission was "The Bailiffs of Lydd," which she produced to honor the guildhall of Lydd, her birthplace. Although she published little during her lifetime, her copybooks have been widely used in calligraphy instruction. She died in 1984. The Irene Wellington Educational Trust supports the "advancement of the education of the public in the arts of calligraphy and fine lettering" through grants to individuals and organizations.

Significant commissions

* The

Roll of Honour for the

(1930–31) * The Wykehamist Roll of Honour (1948) * The

Roll of Honour for the Second World War (1948–50) * The Accession Address (1952), commissioned by the

London County Council The London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today ...

and presented to Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

* The Coronation Address (1953), commissioned by the

and presented to Queen

* The Bailiffs of Lydd (1972–73), commissioned by the Borough of Lydd, Kent for

Lydd Guildhall Lydd Guildhall, also known as Lydd Town Hall and the Lydd Common House, is a municipal building in the High Street, Lydd, Kent, England. The structure, which accommodates the offices and meeting place of Lydd Town Council, is a Grade II listed b ...

References

External links

Finding guide, Irene Wellington Archive, Crafts Study Centre Archives

Images of Irene Wellington's calligraphy
VADS (the online resource for Visual Arts) {{DEFAULTSORT:Wellington, Irene 1904 births 1984 deaths British calligraphers British graphic designers Alumni of the Royal College of Art People associated with the Royal College of Art Academics of the Central School of Art and Design Edinburgh College of Art Women calligraphers British women graphic designers People from Lydd Craft Centre of Great Britain member