Hilda Gertrude Cowham (1873–1964) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

illustrator, famous for her work on children's books and ceramic nurseryware.

Biography

Hilda Cowham was born in 1873. She was a student at Wimbledon School of Art,

Lambeth School of Art Founded in 1854 as the Lambeth School of Art, the City and Guilds of London Art School is a small specialist art college located in central London, England. Originally founded as a government art school, it is now an independent, not-for-profit ...

, and the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It o ...

. She was one of the first women illustrators to publish in ''Punch''. Her work was also published in

The Sketch ''The Sketch'' was a British illustrated weekly journal. It ran for 2,989 issues between 1 February 1893 and 17 June 1959. It was published by the Illustrated London News Company and was primarily a society magazine with regular features on ro ...

The Graphic ''The Graphic'' was a British weekly illustrated newspaper, first published on 4 December 1869 by William Luson Thomas's company Illustrated Newspapers Ltd. Thomas's brother Lewis Samuel Thomas was a co-founder. The premature death of the latt ...

and other magazines and periodicals. She illustrated children's books, such as ''Fiddlesticks'' (1900), ''Peter Pickle and his dog Fido'' (1906), ''Curly Heads and Long Legs'' (1914), and ''Blacklegs and Others'' (1911). One of her characters, a "bush haired, black stockinged imp with big sash bow and infinitesimal petticoats", became famous as the "Cowham child" and was widely imitated. In the 1930s Cowham designed a number of posters for

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The ...

. In the period 1924 to 1935, she and her friend

Mabel Lucie Attwell Mabel Lucie Attwell (4 June 1879 – 5 November 1964) was a British illustrator and comics artist. She was known for her cute, nostalgic drawings of children. Her drawings are featured on many postcards, advertisements, posters, books and f ...

were employed by Shelley Potteries Ltd to provide illustrations for baby's plate and nurseryware.Hilda Cowham brief biography from the London Transport Museum
/ref> Cowham was married to Edgar Lander, also an artist;''Art and Artists''
Otago Witness, February 3, 1904 they had one son."Baby Wit"
Marlborough Express, September 15, 1913

References

1873 births 1964 deaths 19th-century British women artists 20th-century British women artists Place of birth missing Alumni of the Royal College of Art Alumni of the University of the Arts London British illustrators {{UK-illustrator-stub