Barbara Jones (artist)
Encyclopedia
Barbara Mildred Jones was an English
artist, writer and mural painter.
, Surrey
. She attended Coloma Convent Girls' School, and (from May to July 1924) went to Croydon High School
before going on to Croydon School of Art then studying Mural
Decoration at the Royal College of Art
.
During World War II
she was associated with the Recording Britain project of the Pilgrim Trust. Examples of her striking murals were for the post-war Britain Can Make It
exhibition of 1947, the 1951 Festival of Britain
exhibition; on the P&O
passenger liner ships SS Orcades, SS Oronsay
, SS Orsova
and SS Oriana
, and for hotels, restaurants, exhibitions and schools. She made designs for the children's television series The Woodentops
. Most of the works, because of the nature of where they were created, have now disappeared. However many books containing her artwork remain, in the form of dust-jackets and illustrations.
In 1951 Barbara organised Black Eyes and Lemonade, a Festival of Britain
related exhibition of popular and traditional art at the Whitechapel Gallery
. In 1999 an exhibition was held at the Katharine House Gallery in Marlborough which contained many works that she had kept in her studio in Hampstead
.
She was said to belong to that group of Royal College of Art
artists and illustrators, more well-known than she, who were her contemporaries: John Piper
, Edward Bawden
, Eric Ravilious
and Edward Ardizzone
. When she was at Croydon High School she made friends with a girl called Joyce Drew who later became architect and town planner Jane Drew
, and it seems they influenced each other in their careers: Jane said they stayed friends.
She married the artist Clifford BarryClifford Barry designed posters for London Transport in 1937 whom she met at the Royal College of Art
, and he designed the covers for some of her books. The marriage did not last long and they did not have any children.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
artist, writer and mural painter.
Biography
Barbara Jones was born in CroydonCroydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. She attended Coloma Convent Girls' School, and (from May to July 1924) went to Croydon High School
Croydon High School
Croydon High School for Girls GDST is a leading non-denominational independent school for girls, located near Croydon, Greater London, England. It is one of the schools in the Girls' Day School Trust....
before going on to Croydon School of Art then studying Mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
Decoration at the Royal College of Art
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
she was associated with the Recording Britain project of the Pilgrim Trust. Examples of her striking murals were for the post-war Britain Can Make It
Britain Can Make It
Britain Can Make It was an exhibition of industrial and product design held in London in 1946. It was organized by the Council of Industrial Design, later to become the Design Council....
exhibition of 1947, the 1951 Festival of Britain
Festival of Britain
The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition in Britain in the summer of 1951. It was organised by the government to give Britons a feeling of recovery in the aftermath of war and to promote good quality design in the rebuilding of British towns and cities. The Festival's centrepiece was in...
exhibition; on the P&O
Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company
The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, which is usually known as P&O, is a British shipping and logistics company which dated from the early 19th century. Following its sale in March 2006 to Dubai Ports World for £3.9 billion, it became a subsidiary of DP World; however, the P&O...
passenger liner ships SS Orcades, SS Oronsay
SS Oronsay (1951)
For other ships of the same name, see Oronsay.SS Oronsay was the second Orient Line ship built after World War II. A sister ship to SS Orcades, she was named after one of many islands called Oronsay on the west coast of Scotland....
, SS Orsova
SS Orsova (1954)
SS Orsova, a 1503-passenger ocean liner, was built by Vickers Armstrong Shipbuilders Ltd. of Barrow-in-Furness, England, launched on 14 May 1953 and entered service in 1954 for the Orient Steam Navigation Company for UK to Australia services via the Suez Canal, the voyage taking four weeks...
and SS Oriana
SS Oriana (1959)
SS Oriana was the last of the Orient Steam Navigation Company's ocean liners. She was built at Vickers-Armstrong, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria and launched on 3 November 1959 by Princess Alexandra...
, and for hotels, restaurants, exhibitions and schools. She made designs for the children's television series The Woodentops
The Woodentops (TV series)
The Woodentops was a children's television series first shown on BBC Television in 1955. It was created by Freda Lingstrom and Maria Bird and featured on the Friday edition of Watch with Mother...
. Most of the works, because of the nature of where they were created, have now disappeared. However many books containing her artwork remain, in the form of dust-jackets and illustrations.
In 1951 Barbara organised Black Eyes and Lemonade, a Festival of Britain
Festival of Britain
The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition in Britain in the summer of 1951. It was organised by the government to give Britons a feeling of recovery in the aftermath of war and to promote good quality design in the rebuilding of British towns and cities. The Festival's centrepiece was in...
related exhibition of popular and traditional art at the Whitechapel Gallery
Whitechapel Gallery
The Whitechapel Gallery is a public art gallery on the north side of Whitechapel High Street, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Designed by Charles Harrison Townsend, it was founded in 1901 as one of the first publicly-funded galleries for temporary exhibitions in London, and it has a long...
. In 1999 an exhibition was held at the Katharine House Gallery in Marlborough which contained many works that she had kept in her studio in Hampstead
Hampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
.
She was said to belong to that group of Royal College of Art
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
artists and illustrators, more well-known than she, who were her contemporaries: John Piper
John Piper (artist)
John Egerton Christmas Piper, CH was a 20th-century English painter and printmaker. For much of his life he lived at Fawley Bottom in Buckinghamshire, near Henley-on-Thames.-Life:...
, Edward Bawden
Edward Bawden
Edward Bawden, CBE, RA was a British painter, illustrator and graphic artist. He was also famous for his prints, book covers, posters, and garden metalwork furniture...
, Eric Ravilious
Eric Ravilious
Eric William Ravilious was an English painter, designer, book illustrator and wood engraver.-Career:Ravilious studied at Eastbourne School of Art, and at the Royal College of Art, where he studied under Paul Nash and became close friends with Edward Bawden.He began his working life as a muralist,...
and Edward Ardizzone
Edward Ardizzone
Edward Jeffrey Irving Ardizzone, CBE, RA was an English artist, writer and illustrator, chiefly of children's books.-Early life:...
. When she was at Croydon High School she made friends with a girl called Joyce Drew who later became architect and town planner Jane Drew
Jane Drew
Dame Jane Drew, DBE, FRIBA was an English modernist architect and town planner. She qualified at the AA School in London, and prior to World War II became one of the leading exponents of the Modern Movement in London....
, and it seems they influenced each other in their careers: Jane said they stayed friends.
She married the artist Clifford BarryClifford Barry designed posters for London Transport in 1937 whom she met at the Royal College of Art
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
, and he designed the covers for some of her books. The marriage did not last long and they did not have any children.
The most influential books, written and illustrated by her
- The Unsophisticated Arts, London: Architectural Press (1951)
- A richly illustrated survey of English vernacular art - with material on taxidermyTaxidermyTaxidermy is the act of mounting or reproducing dead animals for display or for other sources of study. Taxidermy can be done on all vertebrate species of animals, including mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians...
, fairgrounds, canal boatCanal boatThere are three articles associated with canal watercraft:* The Volunteer - A replica 1848 canal boat docked on the Illinois and Michigan Canal at LaSalle, Illinois* Narrowboat - a specialized craft for operation in early narrow canals...
s, seaside, riverside, tattooTattooA tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
ing, the decoration of food, waxworks, toys, rusticRusticRustic can refer to:*rural*pastoralIn zoology:* Rustic moths, various noctuid moths of subfamilies Hadeninae and Noctuinae, including** The Rustic, * The Rustic , a brush-footed butterfly...
work, shops, festivals and funeralFuneralA funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
s. Based on her influential series of articles for the “Architectural Review”
- A richly illustrated survey of English vernacular art - with material on taxidermy
- Follies and Grottoes, London: Constable & Co. (1953)
- Her pioneering survey of the quirky and the picturesque - black-bayes, grottoGrottoA grotto is any type of natural or artificial cave that is associated with modern, historic or prehistoric use by humans. When it is not an artificial garden feature, a grotto is often a small cave near water and often flooded or liable to flood at high tide...
es, hermitagesHermitage (religious retreat)Although today's meaning is usually a place where a hermit lives in seclusion from the world, hermitage was more commonly used to mean a settlement where a person or a group of people lived religiously, in seclusion.-Western Christian Tradition:...
, labyrinthLabyrinthIn Greek mythology, the Labyrinth was an elaborate structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos...
s, grotesqueGrotesqueThe word grotesque comes from the same Latin root as "Grotto", meaning a small cave or hollow. The original meaning was restricted to an extravagant style of Ancient Roman decorative art rediscovered and then copied in Rome at the end of the 15th century...
architecture, towers, bones and druidDruidA druid was a member of the priestly class in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul, and possibly other parts of Celtic western Europe, during the Iron Age....
s, follyFollyIn architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but either suggesting by its appearance some other purpose, or merely so extravagant that it transcends the normal range of garden ornaments or other class of building to which it belongs...
gardens and more.
- Her pioneering survey of the quirky and the picturesque - black-bayes, grotto
- Design for Death, London: Andre Deutsch (1967)
- Grim and comic, recording the "beautiful, vulgar, frightening and propitiatory things that people make when confronted by that shocking and unwelcome reminder, the death of another". Chapters on the corpse; the shroudShroudShroud usually refers to an item, such as a cloth, that covers or protects some other object. The term is most often used in reference to burial sheets, winding-cloths or winding-sheets, such as the famous Shroud of Turin or Tachrichim that Jews are dressed in for burial...
; the coffinCoffinA coffin is a funerary box used in the display and containment of dead people – either for burial or cremation.Contemporary North American English makes a distinction between "coffin", which is generally understood to denote a funerary box having six sides in plan view, and "casket", which...
; the hearseHearseA hearse is a funerary vehicle used to carry a coffin from a church or funeral home to a cemetery. In the funeral trade, hearses are often called funeral coaches.-History:...
; the floral tributes; printing and the word; the procession; the cemeteryCemeteryA cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
and the crematorium; the tombTombA tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...
; relicRelicIn religion, a relic is a part of the body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial...
s and mementoes, etc.
- Grim and comic, recording the "beautiful, vulgar, frightening and propitiatory things that people make when confronted by that shocking and unwelcome reminder, the death of another". Chapters on the corpse; the shroud
Other books written and illustrated by her
- Jones, Barbara: The Isle of Wight illustrated and described by Barbara Jones, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, (1950)
- Jones, Barbara: English Furniture at a glance written and illustrated by Barbara Jones, London: Architectural Press (1954), also 1971 edition
- Jones, Barbara: Water-Colour Painting, London: Adam & Charles Black, (1960)
- Braybrooke, June & Jones, Barbara: Isobel English, London: Max Parrish & Co., (1964)
- Jones, Barbara: Twit and Howlet and the Balloon, London: Longman Young Books, (1970)
- Jones, Barbara & Howell, Bill: Popular Arts of the First World War, London: Studio Vista, (1972) Review
- Jones, Barbara & Ouellette, William: Erotic Postcards, London: Macdonald & Jane's Publishers, (1977)
Books written by others, with her illustrations or articles
- Casson, Hugh & others: Bombed Churches as War Memorials with a foreword by the Dean of St. Paul's, illustrated by Barbara Jones, Neville Conder, and Peter Shepheard, Cheam: Architectural Press (1945)
- Palmer, Arnold: Recording Britain, London: Oxford University Press in association with the Pilgrim Trust (1946-1949) The published version of the wartime effort at recording in a series of watercolours (mainly newly commissioned) the changing face of the country, with work by Byron Dawson, Russell Flint, Martin Hardie, Rowland Hilder, Barbara Jones, John PiperJohn PiperJohn Piper may refer to:* John Piper , 20th century English painter and printmaker* John Piper , 20th century BBC radio host* John Piper , 19th century lieutenant-governor of Norfolk Island...
, Kenneth Rowntree, Ruskin SpearRuskin SpearRuskin Spear, CBE, RA was an English painter.Born in Hammersmith, Spear attended the local art school before going on to the Royal College of Art in 1930...
and others. Over thirty full-page illustrations by Barbara Jones. - Goodden, Wyndham: This or That? illustrated by Barbara Jones, Edinburgh: HMSO for the Scottish Committee of the Council of Industrial Design, (1947)
- Weidenfeld, A.G.: The Changing Nation: A Contact Book, London: Contact Publications, (1947). A collection of post-war essays on Britain in transition. Barbara Jones contributed a six-page piece on "The Pattern of Suburbia", with her own illustrations.
- Bott, Alan: The Londoner's England Contemporary watercolours and drawings of London and the Home Counties. London: Avalon Press, (1947). Plates by Adrian Bury, Hanslip Fletcher, Barbara Jones, Claude Muncaster, John PiperJohn PiperJohn Piper may refer to:* John Piper , 20th century English painter and printmaker* John Piper , 20th century BBC radio host* John Piper , 19th century lieutenant-governor of Norfolk Island...
, Vincent Lines, Randolph Schwabe, Ruskin SpearRuskin SpearRuskin Spear, CBE, RA was an English painter.Born in Hammersmith, Spear attended the local art school before going on to the Royal College of Art in 1930...
and many more. Barbara Jones is represented by a monochrome plate of the "Jolly Farmer" at Farnham. - Williams-Ellis, Clough: On Trust for the Nation with drawings by Barbara Jones. London : Paul Elek, (1947). The first of two attractively-produced guided tours by the architect of PortmeirionPortmeirionPortmeirion is a popular tourist village in Gwynedd, North Wales. It was designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975 in the style of an Italian village and is now owned by a charitable trust....
, illustrating the work and properties of the National TrustNational Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural BeautyThe National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
. - Ballam,Harry & Morton, Phyllis Digby (editors): The Christmas Book, London: Sampson Low, (1947). Illustrations by Pearl Falconer, Barbara Jones, Leonard Rosoman, etc. Barbara Jones contributes three illustrations to a Constance Spry piece on "The Kissing Bunch and Other Fancies".
- Fraser, G. S.: Vision of Scotland with drawings by Barbara Jones. London: Paul Elek, (1948).
- Bentley, Nicolas; Betjeman, John; Bowen, Elizabeth; Smoth,Stevie & others: Flower of Cities: A Book of London. Studies and sketches by twenty-two authors. London: Max Parrish, (1949). Includes four illustrations (of Hampstead) by Barbara Jones).
- de Sélincourt, Aubrey: Dorset with drawings by Barbara Jones, London: Paul Elek, (1947)
- Gregorson, Edith Ray: Timothy Tramcar, London: Railway World, (ca.1950). A story for children by the literary agent Edith Ray Gregorson (the wife of Robert Aickman and said to have been responsible for placing the original manuscripts of the Thomas the Tank EngineThomas the Tank EngineThomas the Tank Engine is a fictional steam locomotive in The Railway Series books by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher. He became the most popular character in the series, and the accompanying television spin-off series, Thomas and Friends.Thomas is a tank engine, painted blue...
stories). Illustrated, almost throughout, by Barbara Jones. - Mottram, R.H.: East Anglia, London: William Collins Sons & Co. for the Festival of Britain Office, (1951). The fourth in a series produced for the Festival of Britain. With a colour title-page design by Barbara Jones.
- Gruffydd, W.J.: South Wales and the Marches, London: William Collins Sons & Co. for the Festival of Britain Office, (1951). The sixth in a series produced the Festival of Britain. With two vignette tailpieces and a colour title-page design by Barbara Jones.
- Addison, William: English Fairs and Markets with a dust-jacket by Barbara Jones, London: Batsford, (1953)
- Ingram, Tom: Bells in England,London: Frederick Muller, (1954). Church-bells, cow-bells, bicycle-bells and more - illustrated by Barbara Jones.
- BBC: Looking at Things: BBC Broadcasts to Schools, Autumn 1954, London: British Broadcasting Corporation, (1954). With a cover design and several other illustrations by Barbara Jones.
- BBC: Time and Tune: BBC Broadcasts to Schools, Spring Term 1955, London: BBC, (1955). Illustrated throughout by Barbara Jones.
- Ray, Cyril: The Compleat Imbiber: An Entertainment edited by Cyril Ray, designed by F. H. K. Henrion and Jane Mackay. London: Putnam & Co., (1956). The first of an annual series that continued until 1972, with a brief resurgence between 1986 and 1992 - a sparkling anthology. Barbara Jones illustrates an article by R.J.Charleston on Early English Drinking Glasses.
- Bird, Maria: The Woodentops Washing Day, London: Publicity Products, (1956). The first of three Barbara Jones spin-offs from the popular BBC television series. The author, a former school-teacher, also scripted Andy PandyAndy PandyAndy Pandy is a British children's television series that premiered on BBC TV in June or July 1950. The original series of programmes was shown until 1970, when a new series was made. A third series was made in 2002...
and the Flower Pot MenFlower Pot MenThe Flower Pot Men were a British pop group created in 1967 as a result of the single "Let's Go to San Francisco", recorded by session musicians, becoming a major UK Top 20 and Continental Europe hit) in the autumn of 1967...
. In the Colour Story Book series. The doll-like characters would appear to be based on drawings of Dutch dolls prepared by Barbara Jones for her book "The Unsophisticated Arts". - Bird, Maria: The Twins' Birthday, a Woodentops story, illustrated by Barbara Jones, London: Publicity Products, (1957). The last of three Barbara Jones spin-offs from the popular BBC television series, this in the form of a pop-up book, with three cut-out pop-up openings.
- BBC: Singing Together & Rhythm and Melody': BBC Broadcasts to Schools, Spring Term 1957, London: BBC, (1957). With a spirited wrapper design and illustrations by Barbara Jones.
- Newton, Douglas: Clowns, New York: Franklin Watts, (1957). Illustrations and dust-jacket by Barbara Jones.
- Mascall, E.L.: Pi in the High - Dulce est de Desipere - In Loco, London: Faith Press, (1959). Illustrated throughout by Barbara Jones.
- Braybrooke, Neville: A Partridge in a Pear Tree: A celebration for Christmas, London: Darton, Longman & Todd, (1960). An extensive anthology of seasonal verse and prose, with decorations by Barbara Jones and children of the Henry Fawcett School. The selection includes a Barbara Jones piece on "Traditional Joys".
- BBC: Time & Tune: BBC Broadcasts to Schools. Summer Term 1960, London: BBC, (1960). Illustrated throughout with two-colour illustrations by Barbara Jones.
- Norrie, Ian (ed.): The Book of the City, London: High Hill Books, (1961). 23 essays - factual, nostalgic and fanciful - on various aspects of the City of London - by Oswell BlakestonOswell BlakestonOswell Blakeston was the pseudonym of Henry Joseph Hasslacher , a British writer and artist who also worked in the film industry, made some experimental films, and wrote extensively on film theory...
, Ivor BrownIvor BrownIvor John Carnegie Brown was a British journalist and man of letters.-Biography:Born in Penang, Malaya, Brown was the younger of two sons of Dr. William Carnegie Brown, a specialist in tropical diseases, and his wife Jean Carnegie. At an early age he was sent to Britain, where he attended Suffolk...
, Leonard CottrellLeonard CottrellLeonard Eric Cottrell was a prolific and popular British author and journalist. The majority of his books were popularisations of the archaeology of ancient Egypt.-Details:...
, Barbara Jones (on the Pageantry of the City), and others. - Hunt,Peter (ed.), The Shell Gardens Book, London: Phoenix House, in association with George Rainbird, (1964). An encyclopaedic view of gardens and gardening in Britain. Barbara Jones provided the text on follies, grottoes, sham castles, hermit cells, and more.
- Peele, George, Twice so Fair, Leicester: Offcut Press, (1970). A collection of seven of Peele's Elizabethan lyrics, illustrated with linocuts executed by Paul Peter Piech from the drawings of Barbara Jones.
- Hadfield, John (ed.), The Shell Guide to England, London: Michael Joseph, in association with Rainbird Books, (1970). A fine guide and gazetteer to historic England, in which Barbara Jones contributes the essay on English Follies.
- Ouellette, William, Fantasy Postcards, with an Introduction by Barbara Jones. Garden City (USA): Doubleday & Co., (1975). Also London edition (1976).
- Banham, Mary & Hiller, Bevis, (eds.), A Tonic to the Nation: The Festival of Britain 1951, London: Thames & Hudson, (1976). Among the contrinbutors Barbara Jones remembers her work on the Coastline of Britain, the Outside Broadcasting mural, the Lion and the Unicorn, Battersea Funfair, and the Exhibition of British Popular and Traditional Art.
- Williams, Jonathan, Super-duper Zuppa Inglese (and other trifles from the land of stodge), Belper: Aggie Weston's Editions, (1977). A collection of eleven poems based on the idiosyncratic names of English dishes - "Toad in the Hole", "Spotted Dick", etc. With ten full-page illustrations and a dust-jacket design by Barbara Jones.
- Contributions to periodicals by Barbara Jones
- World Review, London: Edward Hulton, (1952).
- Ark, London: Royal College of Art, (1953).
- BBC Children's Annual, London: Burke (1957).
- Typographica 8, London: Lund Humphries (1963).
- Typographica 12, London: Lund Humphries (1965).
- Books with dust-jackets by Barbara Jones
- Blake, George, The Five Arches, London: William Collins Sons & Co., (1947).
- McCrone, Guy, Wax Fruit, London: Constable & Co., (1947).
- and over 20 others
External links
- Modern British Gallery
- Self-portrait of Barbara Jones
- 1970 Short autobiography and comment on one of her own works. Includes her signature. From "Art in the EvoluonEvoluonThe Evoluon is a conference centre and former science museum erected by the electronics and electrical company Philips in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, in 1966. Since its construction, it has become a landmark and a symbol for the city....
"
