E.H. Shepard

 

E.H. Shepard

Illustration from 'Winnie-the-Pooh' by A.A. Milne

Original illustrations were black and white

Ernest Howard Shepard (1879 - 1976) showed a talent for drawing at a young age. He was a friendly boy with a liking for practical jokes and was nicknamed ‘Giddy-Kipper’ by his peers. The name remained with him, in the shortened form of ‘Kip’ for the remainder of his life.

Illustration from 'Winnie-the-Pooh' by A.A. Milne

Original illustrations were black and white

Although he is probably most recognisable as the illustrator of ‘Winnie-the-Pooh’ and ‘The Wind in the Willows’, Ernest Shepard produced many cartoons representing war images and political figures for ‘Punch’, the ‘Illustrated London News’ and ‘London Opinion’. 

Only single men under the age of 30 were initially allowed to enlist in the forces in World War I, to his frustration – he was a married man of 35 when war was declared. He was eventually able to enlist and was posted to France as a junior officer.

British propaganda against Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, 17th November, 1923

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

His elder brother was killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, July 1^st, 1916. Shepard was awarded the Military Cross for conspicuous gallantry at Arras and served with distinction in the Italian Campaign. All the while he recorded his experiences through his drawings. 

                 Illustration from 'The King's Breakfast' by A.A. Milne

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

After he was demobilised, he became a staff member of ‘Punch’ magazine and was asked if he would consider illustrating some verses by A.A. Milne. He agreed and the verses were published as ‘When We Were Very Young’ in 1924 and were followed by ‘Winnie-the-Pooh’, ‘Now We Are Six’ and ‘The House at Pooh Corner.’

         Illustration from 'The Wind in the Willows' by Kenneth Grahame

                          Original illustrations were black and white

Subsequently, A.A. Milne introduced him to Kenneth Grahame, who had written ‘The Wind in the Willows’ in 1908 but had not found an illustrator he liked for it. Shephard visited Grahame at his home in the Thames Valley, in Pangbourne, and was inspired to create the drawings for the book. They greatly pleased Grahame. 

' . . . there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.'

        Illustration from 'The Wind in the Willows' by Kenneth Grahame
                    Original illustrations were black and white

Shepard continued to work as the chief cartoonist for ‘Punch’, covering important events like the Abdication, the outbreak of World War II and the rise of Churchill. In 1953 he was sacked as leading cartoonist from ‘Punch’ by Malcom Muggeridge, who wanted a fresh look for the magazine.

Shepard grew to resent his ‘Winnie-the-Pooh’ illustrations because he felt they overshadowed all his other work. He was heard to refer to Pooh as ‘that silly old bear’.

In similar vein, A.A. Milne, disliked the fact that his children’s books were better recognised than his plays and novels and film scripts.