John Leighton (15 September 1822 – 15 September 1912) 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 ...

artist notable for his

book illustration The illustration of manuscript books was well established in ancient times, and the tradition of the illuminated manuscript thrived in the West until the invention of printing. Other parts of the world had comparable traditions, such as the Persi ...

s and book cover designs.

Biography

Our tom cat and his nine lives - Upper cover (012807de69)

Leighton was born in 6 Devfours Place, St James Westminster, Middlesex. He remained single for the majority of his life, living in an intergenerational household and working as an artist, primarily illustrations for Book covers, working under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

Luke Limner. His talent for design found early expression in the publication ''Suggestions in Design ... for the Use of Artists and Art Workmen'' (1852). This was a work that expounded Leighton's values and beliefs with regard to the

history of design Design history is the study of objects of design in their historical and stylistic contexts. With a broad definition, the contexts of design history include the social, the cultural, the economic, the political, the technical and the aesthetic. D ...

. He used the ornaments and designs repeatedly in the thirty years after its publication with regard to illustrations within books, and for many hundreds of drawings for book cover designs. In May 1863, he delivered a lecture ''On Japanese Art'' at

The Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

. He is buried in the Leighton family tomb in the churchyard of

St Mary's Church, Harrow on the Hill St Mary's, Harrow on the Hill, is the Borough and Parish Church at Harrow on the Hill in northwest London, England. It is a Grade I-listed building. History Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury, began the construction of a church on this site in ...

, which he designed in 1867. His tomb was listed Grade II on the National Heritage List for England in April 2016. Leighton Family Tomb

References

External links

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British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

Royal Academy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leighton, John 1822 births 1912 deaths English illustrators