Will Owen (1869 – 14 April 1957) was an English book illustrator, cartoonist, caricaturist and a commercial and poster artist, possibly best known for his iconic images of the Bisto Kids,

Bovril Bovril is the trademarked name of a thick and salty meat extract paste similar to a yeast extract, developed in the 1870s by John Lawson Johnston. It is sold in a distinctive bulbous jar, and as cubes and granules. Bovril is owned and distrib ...

, Lux and

Lifebuoy A lifebuoy is a life-saving buoy designed to be thrown to a person in water, to provide buoyancy and prevent drowning. Some modern lifebuoys are fitted with one or more seawater-activated lights, to aid rescue at night. Other names Other nam ...

. He received his art training at the

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 evolved a style similar to that of Tom Browne and John Hassall. Owen was born in

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

, the son of a Royal Navy engineer, and received his first education at Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School in

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

.Brushes and Bayonets - Cartoons, Sketches and Paintings of World War 1 - Lucinda Gosling
/ref> Before becoming a full-time illustrator, he worked at the Post Office Savings Bank where he met the writer W. W. Jacobs whose novels and short stories 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 ...

'' he illustrated for many years. Owen himself wrote short stories, eventually joining the '' East Kent Mercury'' where he worked as a journalist. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he produced cartoons for 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. His ...

'', introducing readers to new terms such as ' strafe', '

Blighty "Blighty" is a British English slang term for Great Britain, or often specifically England.

', ' pipsqueak' and 'brass'. Owen produced highly popular cartoons for the '' Bystander'' and ''

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 ...

'', and designed some posters for the Underground Group in 1926. His profusely illustrated guide, ''Old London Town'', was published in New York by Robert M. McBride in 1922 and has been placed on the web by

Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital libr ...

. His work was usually signed "WO" or "WILL OWEN" in a cartouche.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Owen (illustrator), Will 1869 births 1957 deaths English illustrators British poster artists People educated at Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School Alumni of the Lambeth School of Art