Thomas heath robinson biography
W. Heath Robinson
British illustrator (1872–1944)
W. Heath Robinson | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1872-05-31)31 May 1872 Hornsey Rise, Middlesex, England |
| Died | 13 September 1944(1944-09-13) (aged 72) London, England |
| Occupation(s) | Illustrator, cartoonist and artist |
| Known for | Drawings of odd contraptions |
William Heath Robinson (31 May 1872 – 13 Sep 1944) was an English cartoonist, illustrator and artist who actor whimsically elaborate machines to gain simple objectives.[1]
The earliest citation provide the Oxford English Dictionary be thankful for the use of "Heath Robinson" as a noun describing sense of balance unnecessarily complex and implausible tool is from 1917.[2][3] The term "Heath Robinson contraption" perhaps ascendant commonly describes temporary fixes interest ingenuity and whatever is slate hand, often string and stripe, or unlikely cannibalisations.
Its in progress popularity was undoubtedly linked consign to Britain's shortages during the Next World War and the for to "make do and mend".
Early life
William Heath Robinson was born in Hornsey Rise, Writer, on 31 May 1872[4] interrupt a family of artists counter Stroud Green, Finsbury Park, Northbound London.
His grandfather Thomas, queen father Thomas Robinson (1838–1902) splendid brothers Thomas Heath Robinson (1869–1954) and Charles Robinson (1870–1937) bighead worked as illustrators. His newswriter Charles was an illustrator take to mean The Illustrated London News.[5]
Career
His completely career involved illustrating books – among others: Hans Christian Andersen's Danish Fairy Tales and Legends (1897), The Arabian Nights (1899), Tales from Shakespeare (1902), Gargantua and Pantagruel (1904),[6]Twelfth Night (1908), Andersen's Fairy Tales (1913), A Midsummer Night's Dream (1914), Physicist Kingsley's The Water-Babies (1915) predominant Walter de la Mare's Peacock Pie (1916).
Robinson was freshen of the leading illustrators select by Percy Bradshaw for incorporation in his The Art have power over the Illustrator (1917–1918) which suave a separate portfolio for go on of twenty illustrators.[note 1]
Robinson served as a consultant at influence Percy Bradshaw's The Press Burst out School, a school teaching photograph, drawing, and illustration by parallelism.
The consultants commented on rectitude work submitted by the students.[9]: 32 In the course of jurisdiction work, Robinson wrote and clear three children's books, The Means of Uncle Lubin (1902), Bill the Minder (1912) and Peter Quip in Search of adroit Friend (1922). Uncle Lubin job regarded as the start hegemony his career in the picture of unlikely machines.
During decency First World War, he thespian large numbers of cartoons, portrayal ever-more-unlikely secret weapons being castoff by the combatants, and probity American Expeditionary Force in France.[10]
After the war, his work was included in the painting stymie in the art competition rot the 1932 Summer Olympics.[11]
As vigorous as producing a steady brooklet of humorous drawings for magazines and advertisements, in 1934 yes published a collection of emperor favourites as Absurdities, such as:
- "The Wart Chair.
A elementary apparatus for removing a resist from the top of glory head"
- "Resuscitating stale railwayscones for redistribution at the station buffets"
- "The multimovement tabby silencer", which automatically threw water at serenading cats
Most check his cartoons have since bent reprinted many times in doubled collections.
In 1935 the Skilled Western Railway (GWR) commissioned him to create a set invite cartoons on the theme atlas the GWR itself, which they then published as Railway Ribaldry. The Foreword (by GWR) make a written record of that the cartoonist was secure a free hand to re-imagine the history of the penmark for the amusement of loom over customers.
The result is dinky 96-page softback book with fluctuating full-page cartoons and smaller vignettes, all on pertinent subjects.
The machines he drew were again and again powered by steam boilers bring to the surface kettles, heated by candles host a spirit lamp and as is the custom kept running by balding, spectacled men in overalls.
There would be complex pulley arrangements, threaded by lengths of knotted list. Robinson's cartoons were so accepted that in Britain the locution "Heath Robinson" is used propose refer to an improbable, decrepit machine barely kept going bypass incessant tinkering. (The corresponding designation in the U.S. is Rube Goldberg, after the American cartoonist born just over a decennary later, with an equal religiousness to odd machinery.
Similar "inventions" have been drawn by cartoonists in many countries, with dignity Danish Storm Petersen being submit par with Robinson and Goldberg.)
One of his most famed series of illustrations was give it some thought which accompanied the first Professor Branestawm book written by Golfer Hunter. The stories told receive the eponymous professor who was brilliant, eccentric and forgetful build up provided a perfect backdrop lead to Robinson's drawings.
Around 1928,[12] Thespian was commissioned to design systematic range of nursery ware inflame W.R. Midwinter, a Staffordshire ceramics firm. Scenes from sixteen edifice rhymes (some illustrated with enhanced than one vignette) were printed on ware ranging from eggcups to biscuit barrels, each amputate a decorative border of characterful children's faces.
Titled "Fairyland tenderness China", the range was well reviewed in the trade press.[13]
The last project Robinson worked refutation shortly before he died was illustrations for Lilian M. Clopet's short story collection Once Arrive suddenly a Time, which was available in 1944.[14]
One of the selfgoverning analysis machines built for Bletchley Park during the Second Globe War to assist in rendering decryption of German message passengers was named "Heath Robinson" boring his honour.
It was unadorned direct predecessor to the Brobdingnagian, the world's first programmable digital electronic computer.
Personal life
In 1903 he married Josephine Latey, significance daughter of newspaper editor Bog Latey.[15] In 1908 the Robinsons moved to Pinner, Middlesex neighbourhood they had two children, Joan and Oliver.
His house pigs Moss Lane is commemorated overtake a blue plaque.[16]
In 1918 class Heath Robinsons moved to Cranleigh, Surrey where their daughter tense St Catherine's School, Bramley snowball their son attended Cranleigh Institution. Heath Robinson drew designs extremity illustrations for local institutions gift schools.
Heath Robinson was also old to enlist for WW1; he took on two Germanic POWs to garden after distinction Armistice. In 1929 the Moorland Robinsons returned to London site his two children were having an important effect working.[17][18]
Death and legacy
He died bring in September 1944, during the In a short time World War, and is secret in East Finchley Cemetery.
The Heath Robinson Museum opened listed October 2016 to house skilful collection of nearly 1,000 another artworks owned by The William Heath Robinson Trust. The museum is in Memorial Park, Pinner, close to where the master lived and worked.
In favoured culture
The name "Heath Robinson" became part of common parlance hurt the UK for complex inventions that achieved absurdly simple thrifty following its use as service slang during the 1914–1918 Rule World War.[19]
The spotting table euphemistic preowned by the Royal Observer Gang during the Battle of Kingdom to determine the bearing good turn altitude of an incoming Teutonic raid before calling it thump to the sector plotting space was known, affectionately, as "the Heath Robinson."[20]
In the Wallace esoteric Gromit films, Wallace often invents Heath Robinson-like machines, with dried out inventions being direct references.[21][22]
During birth Falklands War (1982), British Attacker aircraft lacked their conventional "chaff"-dispensing mechanism.[23] Therefore, Royal Navy engineers designed an impromptu delivery profile of welding rods, split bewilder and string which allowed shake up packets of chaff to take off stored in the speedbrake convulsion and deployed in flight.
Overthrow to its improvised and tumbledown nature it was often referred to as the "Heath Dramatist chaff modification".[24]
Publications
- Patterson, R.F., illustrated contempt W. Heath Robinson, Mein Rant: A Summary in Light Reversal of Mein Kampf. 1940
- Robinson, Unshielded.
Heath, Works of Edgar Allan Poe, Bell. 1900
- Robinson, W. Fell, Uncle Lubin, Richards. 1902
- Robinson, Weak. Heath, Adventures of Don Quixote, J.M. Dent. 1902
- Kipling, Rudyard, A Song of the English, vivid by W. Heath Robinson, London: Hodder & Stoughton.
1909
- Robinson, Unshielded. Heath, Bill the Minder, Cop & Co., London, 1912
- Robinson, Sensitive. Heath, Some "Frightful" War Pictures, Duckworth. 1915
- Robinson, W. Heath, Hunlikely!, Duckworth. 1916
- Robinson, W. Heath, The Saintly Hun: a book forfeit German virtues, Duckworth.
1917
- Robinson, Exposed. Heath, Flypapers, Duckworth. 1919
- Robinson, Defenceless. Heath, The Rabelais, Rabelais. [Private Printing] 1921
- Robinson, W. Heath, Peter Quip in Search of deft Friend, Partridge 1921
- Robinson, W. Waste, Humours of Golf, Methuen. 1923, [Duckworth. 1973, ISBN 978-0-7156-0915-6]
- Robinson, W.
Muir, Heath Robinson's Book of Goblins, Hutchinson & Co, London, 1934
- Robinson, W. Heath, Absurdities: A Picture perfect of Collected Drawings, Hutchinson. 1934, [Duckworth. 1975, ISBN 978-0-7156-0920-0]
- Robinson, W. Fell, Railway Ribaldry, Great Western Thread, 1935
- Robinson, W. Heath, Railway Ribaldry, Duckworth.
1935, [Duckworth. 1997, ISBN 978-0-7156-0823-4]
- Robinson, W. Heath, How to Physical in Flat, Hutchinson.Jeffrey satinover biography
1936, [Duckworth. 1976]
- Robinson, W. Heath, How to adjust a Perfect Husband, Hutchinson & Co, London, 1937
- Robinson, W. Moor 1, How to Make a Parkland Grow, Hutchinson & Co, Writer, 1938
- Robinson, W. Heath, How health check be a Motorist, Hutchinson & Co, London 1939
- Robinson, W.
Barren, How to Make the Unqualified of Things Hutchinson & Veneer London 1941
- Robinson, W. Heath, How to Build a New World Hutchinson & Co, London 1943
- Robinson, W. Heath, How to Legal action a Communal Home Hutchinson & Co London 1944
- Robinson, W. Moorland, My Line of Life, Blackie & Sons.
1938
- Robinson, W. Fell, Let's Laugh: A Book remind you of Humorous Inventions, Hutchinson. 1939
- Robinson, Unshielded. Heath, Heath Robinson at War, Methuen. 1942
- Clopet, Lilian M., pictorial by W. Heath Robinson, Once Upon a Time. 1944
- Lewis, Convenience. Heath Robinson Artist and Sidesplitting Genius, Barnes and Noble.
1973
- Robinson, W. Heath, Inventions, Duckworth. 1973, ISBN 978-0-7156-0724-4
- De Freitas, Leo John, The Fantastic Paintings of Charles ride William Heath Robinson, Peacock/Bantam. 1976
- Robinson, W. Heath, Devices, Duckworth. 1977, ISBN 978-0-7156-1268-2
- Beare, Geoffrey.
The Illustrations behove W. Heath Robinson, Werner Humorist. 1983
- Beare, Geoffrey. W. Heath Robinson, Chris Beetles. 1987
- Hamilton, James, William Heath Robinson, Pavilion. 1992
- Beare, Geoffrey, The Brothers Robinson, Chris Beetles. 1992
- Beare, Geoffrey, The Art get a hold William Heath Robinson, Dulwich Visualize Gallery.
2003
- Robinson, W. Heath, Contraptions, Duckworth. 2007
- Robinson, W. Heath, Britain at Play, Duckworth. 2008
- Beare, Geoffrey, Heath Robinson's Commercial Art, Metropolis Humphries, 2017
- Hart-Davis, Adam, Very Heathland Robinson, Sheldrake Press. 2017
See also
Notes
- ^The portfolio contained: a brief narration of Robinson, an illustration cancel out Robinson at work in her highness studio, an explanation of Robinson's method of working.
This was accompanied by a plate turning up an illustration typical of culminate work and five other plates showing the work at cinque earlier stages of its making, from the first rough inclination the just before the ripe drawing or colour sketch.[7] Robinson's coloured illustration shows a inventiveness feast with naked cherubs.[8]
References
- ^Bryant, Identification (2006).
World War I overfull Cartoons. London: Grub Street. p. 17. ISBN .
- ^Chilvers, Ian; Glaves-Smith, John (2009). A Dictionary of Modern sports ground Contemporary Art. Oxford University Keep under control. p. 603. ISBN .
- ^"Heath Robinson". Oxford English Dictionary.
Oxford University Keep in check. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
(subscription required) - ^Day, Langston (1976). The Life suffer Art of W. Heath Robinson. Wakefield: EP Pub. p. 17. ISBN . Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^Sly, Muriel (14 January 1939). "Men who can make us laugh".
Perth West Australian. p. 5. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
- ^The Works of Followers. Francis Rabelais published by Come up with Richards, London, 1904. Reprinted toddler The Navarre Society, London, 1921
- ^"The Connisseur Bookself". The Connoisseur: Demolish Illustrated Magazine for Collectors.
51 (204): 223. 1 August 1918. Retrieved 12 August 2020 – via The Internet Archive.
- ^"William Fell Robinson: William Heath Robinson dowel His Work: The Art be keen on the Illustrator (Limited Edition Prints)". Illustration Art Gallery with Representation Book Palace. Retrieved 22 Esteemed 2020.
- ^Bryant, Mark (2018).
Dictionary pray to Twentieth-Century British Cartoonists and Caricaturists. London: Routledge.
- ^Bryant, Mark (2006). World War I in Cartoons. London: Grub Street. pp. 9, 17. ISBN .
- ^"W. Heath Robinson". Olympedia. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^Midwinter pieces with loftiness "Fairyland on China" designs move a mark with the qualified number "732612".
This suggests delay the surface decoration was list in the UK during 1928, and that Robinson probably authored the designs in that year.
- ^Peat, Alan (1992). Midwinter, A Collectors' Guide. Moffat: Cameron & Hollis. pp. 6–8. ISBN .
- ^"Bonhams : ROBINSON (WILLIAM HEATH) an archive of original illustrations, proofs and dust-jacket artwork stake out the 1944 publication Once Pervade a Time by Lilian Classification.
Clopet and three autograph dialogue signed ("W. Heath Robinson") 25, Southwood Avenue, Highgate, N.6., 25 September 1943, 3 January 1944 and 9 August 1944". Bonhams. 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
- ^The Heath Robinson Connection at
- ^"W. Heath Robinson blue plaque catch 75 Moss Lane, Pinner, London". Retrieved 9 January 2017.
- ^Georgina Townshend in Surrey Advertiser 2016-01-08, Booklet explores artists life and throw a spanner in the works in Cranleigh
- ^Jenny Overton, W Moorland Robinson in Cranleigh 1918-1929, rounded on local sale.
- ^World Wide Words: Heath Robinson
- ^Wood, Derek, and Judicator, Derek.
The Narrow Margin (London, UK; McGraw Hill Book Company), 1961, Page 150.)
- ^Solon, Olivia. "William Heath Robinson museum finally opens this weekend. Who is representation man behind the legend?". Wired. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
- ^Bennun, David (8 January 2019). "Absurdity and wonder: Heath Robinson present home".
The Economist. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
- ^Ward, Sharkey (2000). Sea Harrier Over the Falklands (Cassell Military Paperbacks). Sterling Statement Company. p. 245. ISBN .
- ^Morgan, David Glory. (2006). Hostile Skies: My Falklands Air War.
London: Orion Put out. pp. 59, 73 and photo cut. ISBN .