William Stewart Orr (21 January 1872 – 1944) was a Scottish watercolour artist and book illustrator. Born in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, the son of William Orr, a merchant there, the young Orr was educated at the

Glasgow School of Art The Glasgow School of Art (GSA; ) is a higher education art school based in Glasgow, Scotland, offering undergraduate degrees, post-graduate awards (both taught and research-led), and PhDs in architecture, fine art, and design. These are all awa ...

."ORR, Stewart", in Bernard Dolman, ed., ''Who's Who in Art'' (Art Trade Press, 1927), p. 174 In 1907, '' The Studio'' reviewed his work and commented "Stewart Orr, one of the younger men, is an artist with that rare quality, a sense of humour. This characteristic will be applicable in the role of book illustrator, in which the artist is actively engaged at the present time." Orr married Mary Stuart Douglas and was elected a member of the

Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour The Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour (RSW) is a Scottish art society established in 1878. The current patron is Charles III. It is a registered charity based in Glasgow and holds an annual exhibition. The first preliminary meeting ...

in 1925. In 1927, ''Who's Who in Art'' described him as "water-colourist (chiefly), book illustrator occasionally". As an illustrator of children's books, Orr has been compared with his contemporary

Harry B. Neilson Henry Bingham Neilson (1861 – 13 October 1941), who signed his work and was usually credited as Harry B. Neilson, less often as H. B. Neilson, was a British illustrator, mostly of children’s books. His first career was as an engineer and el ...

. In a book on

Arthur Rackham Arthur Rackham (19 September 1867 – 6 September 1939) was an English book illustrator. He is recognised as one of the leading figures during the Golden Age of British book illustration. His work is noted for its robust pen and ink drawings, ...

, Fred Gettings says "Along with Neilson, we may list Stewart Orr and Harry Rowntree... Neilson, and indeed a whole host of Victorian draughtsmen who told animal moralities and fairy stories, portray their animals in clothing... However, the important point is that, for all their human clothing, for all that they speak where necessary with human tongues, and point their morals with something verging on human gesture, these creatures always look like animals."Fred Gettings, ''Arthur Rackham'' (London: Studio Vista, 1976), p. 81

Selected publications

*John Brymer, Stewart Orr, ''Gammon and Spinach: Illustrations by Stewart Orr, Verses by John Brymer'' (London: Blackie & Son, 1902) *John Brymer, Stewart Orr, ''Two Merry Mariners: Illustrations by Stewart Orr, Verses by John Brymer'' (London: Blackie & Son, 1902) *Gladys M. Imlach, ''The Story of Christopher Columbus: by Gladys M. Imlach pictured by Stewart Orr'' (London: T. C. & E. C. Jack; New York: E. P. Dutton, 1906) *L. E. Tiddeman, ''Sahib's Birthday: Illustrated by Stewart Orr'' (London: Blackie & Son, 1909) *John Brymer, Stewart Orr, ''Two Jolly Mariners'' (London, Glasgow, Bombay: Blackie & Son, 1915) *

Gustav Falke Gustav Falke (11 January 1853 – 8 February 1916) was a German writer. Life Falke was born in Lübeck to merchant Johann Friedrich Christian Falke and his wife Elisabeth Franziska Hoyer. The historians Johannes and were his uncles, and the t ...

, Stewart Orr, ''Zwei lustige Zeeleute, Bilder von Stewart Orr, Verse von Gustav Falke'' (Cologne, 1905), German translation of ''Two Merry Mariners''

Notes

External links

William Stewart Orr
at

Bonhams Bonhams is a privately owned international auction house and one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. It was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son & Neale. This brought t ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Orr, Stewart 1872 births 1944 deaths 19th-century British artists 20th-century British illustrators Alumni of the Glasgow School of Art Artists from Glasgow 20th-century Scottish artists