George Loraine Stampa (29 November 1875 – 26 May 1951), also known as G. L. Stampa, was a British artist.Obituary in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ( ...

'', ''Mr. G.L. Stampa'', 28 May 1951, p. 6Obituary in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

, MR GEORGE L. STAMPA'',

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, Monday, May 28, 1951, p. 8 He contributed to

Punch Punch commonly refers to: * Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist * Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice Punch may also refer to: Places * Pu ...

for over 50 years and was the illustrator for books written by A. P. Herbert, E. V. Lucas and Anthony Armstrong. He contributed to most of the illustrated weeklies, including ''

The Bystander ''The Bystander'' was a British weekly tabloid magazine that featured reviews, topical drawings, cartoons and short stories. Published from Fleet Street, it was established in 1903 by George Holt Thomas. Its first editor, William Comyns Beaum ...

'', '' The Humorist'', ''

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 roy ...

'' and '' The Tatler''. Stampa exhibited at the Royal Institute of Painters and the

Royal Academy 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 ...

, and was a participant in the art competition at the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad ( nl, Spelen van de IXe Olympiade) and commonly known as Amsterdam 1928, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated fro ...

Early life

George Loraine Stampa (born as Giorgio Stampa) was born in

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

on 29 November 1875, the son of Giorgio Domenico Stampa and Ann (née Heelis) who was the daughter of the Rector of

Long Marton Long Marton is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Eden, Cumbria, Eden District of the English county of Cumbria. In 2011 the population was 827. The village previously had a railway station called Long Marton railway s ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

.Gruss, p. 10Who’s Who In Art, Volume XIV, Bernard Dolman, The Art Trade Press, Ltd., 1962 Stampa's father, Giorgio Domenico Stampa, was also born in

but educated in

Westmorland Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland'';R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref> is a historic county in North West England spanning the southern Lake District and the northern Dales. It had an ...

, under the Rev. William Shepherd at

,''Daily Mail'', Obituary of Mr George Dominic Stampa, Hull,

, 17 July 1922, p. 4 later joining the architectural practice of Edward Walters in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

where he worked on the design of the Manchester Free Trade Hall and other projects in that City. Stampa's father was later architect to Sultan Abdul Hamid in the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

where he worked on the design of The British Embassy at

Therapia Tarabya ( ota, Tarabiye, el, Θεραπειά, translit=Therapiá) is a neighbourhood in the Sarıyer district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is located on the European shoreline of the Bosphorus strait, between the neighbourhoods of Yeniköy and Ki ...

, The Sultan's Palace in Istanbul, the palace of the Kedhive of Egypt and a number of Mosques. Stampa's father had to leave the

in 1878 following a political uprising and the young Stampa then lived in

with his mother's family at Battlebarrow House in Appleby, Westmorland. In

, he enjoyed fishing with his maternal cousin, Willy Heelis, and the landscape of

had a profound effect on him and his future career as an artist.Gruss, p. 12 Stampa's father became a British citizen in 1889, as did his children. George Loraine Stampa was educated at

Appleby Grammar School Appleby Grammar School is a mixed secondary school and sixth form in Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria for students aged 11 to 18. Since 2011, it has been an Academy. Until 2013, the school was a registered charity. History The origins of App ...

(where the father of

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

was educated), Bedford Modern School, Heatherly's Art School (1892–93), and, as a contemporary of

Heath Robinson William Heath Robinson (31 May 1872 – 13 September 1944) was an English cartoonist, illustrator and artist, best known for drawings of whimsically elaborate machines to achieve simple objectives. In the UK, the term "Heath Robinson contr ...

and

Lewis Baumer Lewis Christopher Edward Baumer (8 August 1870 – 25 October 1963) was best known as an English cartoonist who worked for more than fifty years for the British magazine ''Punch'', from 1897. He was also a portrait and still life painter, pastelli ...

, the Royal Academy Schools (1893–95). Stampa spoke Italian, French, Turkish and English.

Stampa family history

Stampa's family had an illustrious history.Gruss, p. 9 In the 8th century, his ancestor, Carlo Lanfranco D'Estampes, was seigneur of

Dreux Dreux () is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. Geography Dreux lies on the small river Blaise, a tributary of the Eure, about 35 km north of Chartres. Dreux station has rail connections to Argentan, Paris and Gra ...

and

Étampes Étampes () is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southwest from the center of Paris (as the crow flies). Étampes is a sub-prefecture of the Essonne department. Étampes, together with the neighboring c ...

in France. Carlo D'Estampes was made Governor of Milan by

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first E ...

on the order that D'Estampes fight for control of Lombardy on behalf of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 unt ...

. Carlo Lanfranco D'Estampes later established his family in Milan, Italianized his name to Stampa, and many of his descendants became successful in the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

. The Aegean Island of Stampalia, renamed

Astypalaia Astypalaia (Greek: Αστυπάλαια, ), is a Greek island with 1,334 residents (2011 census). It belongs to the Dodecanese, an archipelago of fifteen major islands in the southeastern Aegean Sea. The island is long, wide at the most, and ...

after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, was colonised by the family in the 14th century. At one point, the Stampa family also owned the island of

Elba Elba ( it, isola d'Elba, ; la, Ilva) is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano Nationa ...

where

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

was first exiled in 1814. One of Stampa's ancestors, Gaspara Stampa (1520-1554), was an esteemed poet during the

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( it, Rinascimento ) was a period in Italian history covering the 15th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Europe and marked the trans ...

Stampa’s work

Stampa first published in ''

'' in March 1894, at the request of

F. C. Burnand Sir Francis Cowley Burnand (29 November 1836 – 21 April 1917), usually known as F. C. Burnand, was an English comic writer and prolific playwright, best known today as the librettist of Arthur Sullivan's opera '' Cox and Box''. The son of ...

, when the nineteen year old Stampa was still studying at Heatherley's Art School. Stampa's predilection for drawing London street urchins and mongrel dogs was in the same style as Charles Keene and Phil May. He was a major contributor to ''

'' for 50 years, providing material to four editors including Sir Francis Burnand, Sir Owen Seaman, Mr. E. V. Knox and Mr Kenneth Bird. At the time of his last contribution in 1949, Stampa had contributed at least 2,500 drawings to ''

''.Gruss, p. 15 In addition to ''

'', Stampa was an illustrator for most of the illustrated weeklies, including ''

'', '' The Humorist'', ''

'' and '' The Tatler''. He was an illustrator for all of Rudyard Kipling's dog stories. Stampa was also a designer of posters for London Transport, and illustrator to the

theatre column, ''At the Play'', signing some of his work as Harris Brooks. Ronald Searle took responsibility for the theatre column in 1949. Stampa would regularly donate his drawings to charities including the

Great Ormond Street Hospital Great Ormond Street Hospital (informally GOSH or Great Ormond Street, formerly the Hospital for Sick Children) is a children's hospital located in the Bloomsbury area of the London Borough of Camden, and a part of Great Ormond Street Hospita ...

, Middlesex Hospital, the Newspaper Press charities and the

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)'' The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...

Memorial Fund. He also contributed work after the explosion of the French battleship ''Liberté'' in

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...

. Stampa was commissioned to paint a cartoon, the size of a postage stamp, for Queen Mary's famous dolls' house. In 1916 he designed a card for the 19th (Western) Division of the British Expeditionary Force during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. His illustrations were included in books written by A. P. Herbert, E. V. Lucas and Anthony Armstrong. Stampa's work was part of the painting event in the art competition at the

. He exhibited at the Royal Institute of Painters and the

. Stampa's abiding interest in drawing animals led him to be a Life Member of

London Zoo London Zoo, also known as ZSL London Zoo or London Zoological Gardens is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was originally intended to be used as a collection for scientific study. In 1831 or 1832, ...

Personal life

Stampa's elder brother, Lelio Stampa (1873-1943), was a lecturer in Modern History at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

. T. E. Lawrence was tutored by Lelio Stampa, and Lawrence would later give the Stampa family a suit of

chainmail Chain mail (properly called mail or maille but usually called chain mail or chainmail) is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh. It was in common military use between the 3rd century BC and ...

obtained during Lawrence's travels in Arabia. The youngest of Stampa's brothers, Arturo, died of pneumonia in 1892. Stampa was a first cousin of William Heelis, husband of

Beatrix Potter Helen Beatrix Potter (, 28 July 186622 December 1943) was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist. She is best known for her children's books featuring animals, such as '' The Tale of Peter Rabbit'', which was ...

. Stampa's brother, Lelio, was a witness at the wedding. Stampa was a member of the Savage Club, having been elected by Leonard Raven-Hill, and would later serve on the board of trustees.Gruss, p. 19 He designed a menu for a dinner at the Savage Club on 21 January 1928 that was chaired by A. P. Herbert. Stampa was also a young attendee at the Langham Sketch Club in All Souls Place near Regent Street,

, and would later be its chairman in 1914. As a fan of cricket he would regularly attend matches at

Lord's Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England ...

. In 1906 Stampa married Ethel Crowther (d. 1946), eldest daughter of the late Clifford Crowther of

Claygate Claygate is an affluent suburban village in Surrey, England, southwest of central London. It is the only civil parish in the borough of Elmbridge. Surrounded by green belt, it lies inside the Greater London Built-up Area. Claygate was once in ...

. In 1908 they had one son, Arthur L Stampa, who was the principal beneficiary of his father's will. Stampa died in London on 26 May 1951. '' John O'London's Weekly'' described him as:

'The most cheerful, contented and amiable inhabitants of what is called Bohemian London. He never envies anyone and sincerely appreciates the work of his rivals. The consequence is that no man has a larger number of friends'.

Perhaps his best epitaph was written by his granddaughter, Flavia Stampa Gruss, in her book, ''The Last Bohemian'':

'He was a man who cared deeply for England and things English. Although given to nostalgia, G. L. S. was at home in the world of his life and times which, however Bohemian (of the gentler sort), remained one of 'an English sun under an English Heaven'. Yet we should never forget that G. L. S. gained from his Italian forebears a special warmth and lightness of touch - the ragamuffins of Seven Dials were the blood brothers of those of Venice and Milan. He was very much a man of his times, an honoured member of a family of ancient descent'.

Gallery

File:George Loraine Stampa00.jpg, The Scout File:George Loraine Stampa01a.jpg, Lady playing golf File:Cricket.png, Cricket File:Ragamuffin street urchin boy.png, Ragamuffin street urchin boy File:Harassed Conductor 1923.png, Harassed Conductor File:William_Breakspeare.png, William Breakspeare

Selected works

* ''In praise of dogs; an anthology for all dog lovers'', by G. L. Stampa. Published by Frederick Muller,

, 1955. * ''Humours of the Street'', by G. L. Stampa. Published by Methuen, London, 1921. * ''Ragamuffins'', by G. L. Stampa. Published by Duckworh, London, 1916. * ''Loud laughter: humorous drawings illustrating Easy French exercises'', by G. L. Stampa with verses by C. Errington Pegler. Published by Cassell & Co. in London and New York, 1907.

Selected book illustrations

* Kipling, Rudyard. ''Collected Dog Stories''. Published by World Books, London, 1939. * Murray, A. Maitland. ''Gerogie M' culloch''. Published by Bodley Head and John Lane, London, 1933. * Armstrong, Anthony. ''The Easy Warriors''. Published by Methuen, London, 1932. * Herbert, Alan Patrick. ''Ballads for Broadbows''. Published by Ernest Benn, London, 1930. * Kipling, Rudyard. ''The Servant a Dog, told by Boots''. Published by Macmillan & Co., London, 1930. * Walker, Joe. ''That Dog Of Mine''. Published by Ward Lock, London and Melbourne, 1930. * Kipling, Rudyard. ''Supplications of the Black Aberdeen''. Published by Doubleday, London and New York, 1929. * Walker, Joe. ''My Dog and Yours''. Published in

, 1929. * Hastings, Basil Macdonald. ''Memoirs of a Child''. Published by A.M. Philpot, London, 1926. * Cummins, Stevenson Lyle. ''Plays for Children''. Published by Methuen, London, 1922. * Lucas, Edward Verrall. ''Urbanites; essays new and old''. Published by Methuen, London, 1921. * Lucas, Edward Verrall. ''Specially selected: a choice of essays, with a pictorial commentary''. Published by Methuen, London, 1921. * Atkey, Bertram. ''Easy Money'', the genuine book of Henry Mitch, his genuine search for other folk's wealth, and his urgent fear of the feminine. Published by Grant Richards, London, 1908. Gruss, BIBLIOGRAPHY, p. 72

Notes

References

Gruss, Flavia Stampa. ''The Last Bohemian'': G. L. STAMPA of Punch. Published March 25, 1991

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stampa, George Loraine 1875 births 1951 deaths English illustrators English cartoonists English humorists Punch (magazine) cartoonists Olympic competitors in art competitions Alumni of the Royal Academy Schools People educated at Bedford Modern School Emigrants from the Ottoman Empire to the United Kingdom