Herbert Railton (21 November 1857 – 15 March 1910), was an English artist and leading black and white illustrator of books and magazines.

Life and work

Railton was born in

Pleasington Pleasington () is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Blackburn with Darwen, Lancashire, England. It had a population of 467 in the 2001 census, reducing to 446 at the 2011 Census. It is a rural village set on a hillside above the Riv ...

, near

Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-n ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, and educated at

Mechlin Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...

in Belgium and

Ampleforth College Ampleforth College is a co-educational independent day and boarding school in the English public school tradition located in the village of Ampleforth, North Yorkshire, England. It opened in 1802 as a boys' school, it is situated in the groun ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

(England). He trained as an architect at the firm of W.S. Varley in

. He joined the local literary club where he met artist Charles Haworth, who became his mentor, and gave him further instruction in working in black and white. After his drawings of a

railway accident Classification of railway accidents, both in terms of cause and effect, is a valuable aid in studying rail (and other) accidents to help to prevent similar ones occurring in the future. Systematic investigation for over 150 years has led to the r ...

at Blackburn station (1881) were published in the ''

Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News The ''Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News'' was a British weekly magazine founded in 1874 and published in London. In 1945 it changed its name to the ''Sport and Country'', and in 1957 to the ''Farm and Country'', before closing in 1970. Hi ...

'', Railton went on to become one of the leading illustrators of his day. He moved to London and married Frances, another illustrator - they had one child, Ione, who also became an illustrator. Railton provided many black and white illustrations for magazines and books - including editions of books by famous authors such

Thomas Hood Thomas Hood (23 May 1799 – 3 May 1845) was an English poet, author and humorist, best known for poems such as " The Bridge of Sighs" and "The Song of the Shirt". Hood wrote regularly for ''The London Magazine'', ''Athenaeum'', and ''Punch''. ...

(''The Haunted House''),

Oliver Goldsmith Oliver Goldsmith (10 November 1728 – 4 April 1774) was an Anglo-Irish novelist, playwright, dramatist and poet, who is best known for his novel ''The Vicar of Wakefield'' (1766), his pastoral poem ''The Deserted Village'' (1770), and his pl ...

Henry Fielding Henry Fielding (22 April 1707 – 8 October 1754) was an English novelist, irony writer, and dramatist known for earthy humour and satire. His comic novel '' Tom Jones'' is still widely appreciated. He and Samuel Richardson are seen as founders ...

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

etc. and travel guides. Railton died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

in 1910, aged 53.

Selected books illustrated by Railton

*Thomas Lovell Beddoes.
The Poetical Works of Thomas Lovell Beddoes
' (J.M. Dent & Co., 1890). *

William Benham William Benham may refer to: *William Benham (priest) (1831–1910), English churchman and writer *William Benham (zoologist) (1860–1950), New Zealand zoologist and biologist *William Gurney Benham Sir William Gurney Benham, FSA, FRHS (; 16 ...

.
Winchester Cathedral
' (Isbister & Co. Ltd., 1897). *C. M. Church.
Wells Cathedral
' (Ibister & Co. ltd., 1897). *John Lionel Darby.
Chester Cathedral
' (Isbister & Co. Ltd., 1898). *Ernest Gilliat-Smith.
The Story of Bruges
' (J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd., 1909). *Cecil Headlam.
The story of Chartres
' (J.M. Dent & Co., 1902). *Cecil Headlam.
The Story of Oxford
' (J.M. Dent & Co., 1907). *

.
The Haunted House
' (Lawrence & Bullen, 1896). *William H. Hutton.
Hampton Court
' (John C. Nimmo, 1897). *Sidney Lee.
Stratford on Avon
' ( Seeley & Co. Ltd., 1904). *W.J. Loftie.
The Inns of Court and Chancery
' (Seeley & Co., 1908) *B.E. Martin
In the footprints of Charles Lamb
' (Charles Scribner's sons, 1890). *W.C.E. Newbolt.
The cathedrals of England
' (Thomas Whittaker, 1899). *W.C.E. Newbolt.
St. Paul's Cathedral
' (Isbister & Co. Ltd., 1897). *W.H.O. Smeaton.
Edinburgh and its story
' (J.M. Dent & Co., 1904). *Charles William Stubbs.
Cambridge and its story
' (J.M. Dent & Co., 1903). *W.O. Tristram.
Coaching days and coaching ways
' (MacMillan & Co., 1893). *M.G. Williamson.
Edinburgh; a historical and topographical account of the city
' (Methuen & Co., 1906).

References

External links

* *
Herbert Railton
(Biography at Cottontown.org). {{DEFAULTSORT:Railton, Herbert 1857 births 1910 deaths English illustrators People educated at Ampleforth College Artists from Blackburn Deaths from pneumonia in the United Kingdom