Untitled Curwen pattern paper by Althea Willoughby (cropped)

Althea Willoughby (1904–1982) was a British artist. She worked as a book and magazine illustrator, painted decorative tiles and made wood engravings.

Biography

Willoughby was born in London. Her mother,

Vera Willoughby Vera Willoughby (1870–1939) was a British illustrator, painter, and poster artist. Under the name Vera Petrovna, she also created designs and illustrations of ballet dancers. Biography Willoughby was born in South Norwood and educated in Lond ...

was also a professional illustrator and her father was the actor

Lewis Willoughby Louis Willoughby (10 July 1876 – 12 September 1968) was an English actor of the silent era. Born in England, he was married to artist Vera Willoughby and the father of artist Althea Willoughby. He lived his final years in the United State ...

. Willoughby was educated at the Royal College of Art during the 1920s. Her work was exhibited at the

Redfern Gallery The Redfern Gallery is an exhibition space in the West End of London specialising in contemporary British art. It was founded by Arthur Knyvett-Lee and Anthony Maxtone Graham in 1923 as an artists' cooperative on the top floor of Redfern Hous ...

in 1930 and at ''The British Art in India'' exhibition of 1935. Willoughby designed the woodcut frontispiece for Alexander Somerton's ''The Glades of Glenbella'' (1929) and illustrated three volumes of

Faber and Faber Faber and Faber Limited, usually abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, Margaret Storey, William Golding, Samuel B ...

Ariel Poems The Ariel Poems were two series of pamphlets that contained illustrated poems published by Faber and Gwyer and later by Faber and Faber. The first series had 38 titles published between 1927 and 1931. The second series, published in 1954, had 8 ...

: James Stephens' ''The Outcast'' (1929),

D. H. Lawrence David Herbert Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930) was an English writer, novelist, poet and essayist. His works reflect on modernity, industrialization, sexuality, emotional health, vitality, spontaneity and instinct. His best-k ...

's ''The Triumph of the Machine'' (1930), and Henry Newbolt's ''A Child is Born'' (1931) She designed posters for London Transport, including ''Chrysanthemums in London's Parks'' (1933), and for the Southern Railway. She also designed patterned papers for the Curwen Press. After marriage, Willoughby was known as Althea Wolton. Her work is in collections including the Olga Hirsch Collection of Decorated Papers at the British Library, and that of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

References

External links

Cover of the 1936 Christmas edition
of the ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...

'', by Willoughby {{DEFAULTSORT:Willoughby, Althea 1904 births 1982 deaths 20th-century English women artists Alumni of the Royal College of Art Artists from London English illustrators