Harold Robert Millar (1869–1942) was a prominent and prolific Scottish graphic artist and illustrator of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He is best known for his illustrations of children's books and fantasy literature. "His work...has a lively, imaginative charm and a distinctive sense of design."

Life and Work

A native of Dumfriesshire, Millar first pursued civil engineering before deciding upon an artistic career. He then studied at the Wolverhampton Art School and the Birmingham School of and established his career as a magazine illustrator with ''

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 * Pun ...

'', ''Good Words'', and other periodicals of the day. Millar illustrated fables for the

Strand Magazine ''The Strand Magazine'' was a monthly British magazine founded by George Newnes, composed of short fiction and general interest articles. It was published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950, running to 711 issues, though the ...

, and anthologies of tales, ''The Golden Fairy Book'', ''The Silver Fairy Book'', ''The Diamond Fairy Book'', and ''The Ruby Fairy Book''. He illustrated books by a wide range of British authors of his time, including Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch,

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...

, and

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. ...

. He had an extensive working relationship with E. Nesbit, and has been called "the most sympathetic and perhaps the most talented of her illustrators."

Marcus Crouch Marcus Crouch (12 February 1913 – 24 April 1996) was an English librarian, and an influential commentator on and reviewer of children's books.Sheila Ray. "Obituary: Marcus Crouch", ''Children's Literature Abstracts'', Issues 92-95, Internation ...

, ''Treasure Seekers and Borrowers: Children's Books in Britain, 1900–1960'', London, The Library Association, 1962; p. 15. Apart from fantasy and children's books, Millar drew pictures for works like Kate Lawson's ''Highways and Homes of Japan'' (1910) and Arthur Radclyffe Dugmore's ''African Jungle Life'' (1928). Millar was a noted collector of Eastern art and exotic and ancient weapons; he employed his interest and knowledge in these areas in his artwork. A partial list of the books Millar illustrated includes: * George Eliot's '' Scenes of Clerical Life'' *

H. Rider Haggard Sir Henry Rider Haggard (; 22 June 1856 – 14 May 1925) was an English writer of adventure fiction romances set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa, and a pioneer of the lost world literary genre. He was also involved in land reform ...

's ''The Brethren'' * Newman Harding's ''The Little Black Monkey'' and ''The Little Grey Pedlar'' *

Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associated with that t ...

's ''

Tanglewood Tales ''Tanglewood Tales for Boys and Girls'' (1853) is a book by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne, a sequel to ''A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys''. It is a re-writing of well-known Greek myths in a volume for children. Overview The book includes t ...

'' * Howard Angus Kennedy's ''The New World Fairy Book'' and ''The Canadian Fairy Book'' * Kipling's '' Kim'' and '' Puck of Pook's Hill'' *

Captain Marryat Captain Frederick Marryat (10 July 1792 – 9 August 1848) was a Royal Navy officer, a novelist, and an acquaintance of Charles Dickens. He is noted today as an early pioneer of nautical fiction, particularly for his semi-autobiographical novel ...

's ''Frank Mildmay'', ''

The Phantom Ship ''The Phantom Ship'' (1839) is a Gothic novel by Frederick Marryat which explores the legend of the ''Flying Dutchman''. Plot introduction The plot concerns the quest of Philip Vanderdecken of Terneuzen in the Netherlands to save his father ...

'', and ''Snarley-Yow'' *

Mrs. Molesworth Mary Louisa Molesworth, ''née'' Stewart (29 May 1839 – 20 January 1921) was an English writer of children's stories who wrote for children under the name of Mrs Molesworth. Her first novels, for adult readers, ''Lover and Husband'' (1869) ...

's ''Peterkin'' *

James Morier James Justinian Morier (15 August 1782 – 19 March 1849) was a British diplomat and author noted for his novels about the Qajar dynasty in Iran, most famously for the ''Hajji Baba'' series. These were filmed in 1954. Early life Morier was bor ...

's ''The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan'' * Edith Nesbit's ''The Book of Dragons'', ''

The Enchanted Castle ''The Enchanted Castle'' is a children's fantasy novel by Edith Nesbit first published in 1907. Plot summary The enchanted castle of the title is a country estate in the West Country seen through the eyes of three children, Jerry, Jimmy, and ...

'', ''

Five Children and It ''Five Children and It'' is a children's novel by English author E. Nesbit. It was originally published in 1902 in the '' Strand Magazine'' under the general title ''The Psammead, or the Gifts'', with a segment appearing each month from April ...

'', ''

The House of Arden ''The House of Arden'' is a novel for children written by the English author E. Nesbit and published in 1908. Plot summary A boy named Edred Arden inherits the title of Lord Arden and the dilapidated Arden Castle. He and his sister Elfrida sear ...

'', '' The Magic City'', ''

The Phoenix and the Carpet ''The Phoenix and the Carpet'' is a fantasy novel for children, written by E. Nesbit and first published in 1904. It is the second in a trilogy of novels that begins with ''Five Children and It'' (1902), and follows the adventures of the same ...

'', ''

The Story of the Amulet ''The Story of the Amulet'' is a children's literature, novel for children, written in 1906 by English author Edith Nesbit. It is the final part of a trilogy of novels that also includes ''Five Children and It'' (1902) and ''The Phoenix and t ...

'', and other works * Thomas Love Peacock's '' Headlong Hall'' and ''

Nightmare Abbey ''Nightmare Abbey'' is an 1818 novella by Thomas Love Peacock which makes good-natured fun of contemporary literary trends. The novel ''Nightmare Abbey'' was Peacock's third long work of fiction to be published. It was written in late March and ...

'' * Quiller-Couch's ''Fairy Tales Far and Near'' * Tetta Ward's ''My Fairy Tale Book''

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Millar, H. R. Scottish illustrators British children's book illustrators Fantasy artists 1869 births 1940 deaths Scottish children's book illustrators