Lynton Lamb
Encyclopedia
Lynton Lamb RDI
, FSRA, FSIA (15 April 1907 - 4 September 1977) was an English artist
-designer, Author, lithographer
and illustrator
who was notable for his book jacket, poster
, architectural decoration and postage stamp
designs.
He was born the son of The Reverend
Frederick Lamb in Nizambabad, India
, grew up in London
and was educated at Kingswood School
, Bath, Somerset. He then worked in an Estate Agents office and attended night school at Camberwell School of Art before studying art full time at the Central School of Arts and Crafts. From 1930 he designed book jackets and bindings for the Oxford University Press
, with a break for military service during World War II
when he designed camouflage
and in 1936 he had an exhibition of paintings at the Storran Gallery
.
He designed decorations for Orient Lines
ships from 1935-1950, exhibited works at the Festival of Britain
in 1951 and designed the binding of the Bible
used at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
. In 1953/54 he designed the Queen Elizabeth II Castle series
high-value definitive stamps issue which featured views of four castles in England
, Scotland
, Wales
and Northern Ireland
framed by an old stone wall later nicknamed the 'broken grotto'.He received the International Philatelic Art Society Award for the designs in 1960: in 2005 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of their issue the Post Office reproduced the designs with new values and the Royal Mint
produced a set of silver ingots
featuring the designs in 2006.
Lamb was the Author of the Inspector Charles Glover Detective stories, Death of a Dissenter, Worse Than Death, Picture Frame and Man in a Mist, published by Victor Gollancz, London, between 1969 and 1974.
His art publications included The Purpose of Painting (1936) and Preparation for Painting (1954). He was head of lithography
at the Royal College of Art
and Slade School of Fine Art
and was named 'Royal Designer to Industry
' in 1974. He lived in retirement in Sandon, Essex
and died aged 70.
Royal Designers for Industry
Royal Designer for Industry is a distinction established by the British Royal Society of Arts in 1936, to encourage a high standard of industrial design and enhance the status of designers. It is awarded to people who have achieved "sustained excellence in aesthetic and efficient design for...
, FSRA, FSIA (15 April 1907 - 4 September 1977) was an English artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
-designer, Author, lithographer
Lithography
Lithography is a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface...
and illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
who was notable for his book jacket, poster
Poster
A poster is any piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface. Typically posters include both textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly text. Posters are designed to be both eye-catching and informative. Posters may be...
, architectural decoration and postage stamp
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
designs.
He was born the son of The Reverend
The Reverend
The Reverend is a style most often used as a prefix to the names of Christian clergy and ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and church traditions. The Reverend is correctly called a style but is often and in some dictionaries called a...
Frederick Lamb in Nizambabad, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, grew up in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and was educated at Kingswood School
Kingswood School
Kingswood School, referred to as 'Kingswood', is an independent day and boarding school located in Bath, Somerset, England. The school is coeducational and educates some 950 children aged 3 to 18. It is notable for being founded by John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, in 1748...
, Bath, Somerset. He then worked in an Estate Agents office and attended night school at Camberwell School of Art before studying art full time at the Central School of Arts and Crafts. From 1930 he designed book jackets and bindings for the Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, with a break for military service 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...
when he designed camouflage
Camouflage
Camouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...
and in 1936 he had an exhibition of paintings at the Storran Gallery
Storran Gallery
The Storran Gallery was a fashionable avant-garde art gallery in London in the 1930s. In 1937 it was run by the prominent art critic Eardley Knollys with Ala Storey and the artist Frank Combes...
.
Orient Steam Navigation Company
The Orient Steam Navigation Company, also known as the Orient Line, was a British shipping company with roots going back to the late 18th century...
ships from 1935-1950, exhibited works at the 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...
in 1951 and designed the binding of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
used at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was the ceremony in which the newly ascended monarch, Elizabeth II, was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ceylon, and Pakistan, as well as taking on the role of Head of the Commonwealth...
. In 1953/54 he designed the Queen Elizabeth II Castle series
Castle series
The Castle series or Castle High Value series are two definitive stamp series issued in the United Kingdom during Queen Elizabeth II's reign.The first series, designed by Lynton Lamb was issued in September 1955...
high-value definitive stamps issue which featured views of four castles in England
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...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
framed by an old stone wall later nicknamed the 'broken grotto'.He received the International Philatelic Art Society Award for the designs in 1960: in 2005 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of their issue the Post Office reproduced the designs with new values and the Royal Mint
Royal Mint
The Royal Mint is the body permitted to manufacture, or mint, coins in the United Kingdom. The Mint originated over 1,100 years ago, but since 2009 it operates as Royal Mint Ltd, a company which has an exclusive contract with HM Treasury to supply all coinage for the UK...
produced a set of silver ingots
Ingot
An ingot is a material, usually metal, that is cast into a shape suitable for further processing. Non-metallic and semiconductor materials prepared in bulk form may also be referred to as ingots, particularly when cast by mold based methods.-Uses:...
featuring the designs in 2006.
Lamb was the Author of the Inspector Charles Glover Detective stories, Death of a Dissenter, Worse Than Death, Picture Frame and Man in a Mist, published by Victor Gollancz, London, between 1969 and 1974.
His art publications included The Purpose of Painting (1936) and Preparation for Painting (1954). He was head of lithography
Lithography
Lithography is a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface...
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 Slade School of Fine Art
Slade School of Fine Art
The Slade School of Fine Art is a world-renownedart school in London, United Kingdom, and a department of University College London...
and was named 'Royal Designer to Industry
Royal Designers for Industry
Royal Designer for Industry is a distinction established by the British Royal Society of Arts in 1936, to encourage a high standard of industrial design and enhance the status of designers. It is awarded to people who have achieved "sustained excellence in aesthetic and efficient design for...
' in 1974. He lived in retirement in Sandon, Essex
Sandon, Essex
Sandon is a small village just off junction 17 of the A12 in Essex, adjacent to Great Baddow and close to Danbury. It was known for an ancient oak tree covering most of the village green...
and died aged 70.