Salomon van Abbé
Encyclopedia
Salomon van Abbé also known as Jack van Abbé or Jack Abbey, was an artist, etcher and illustrator of books and magazines.
He was born in the Netherlands
but moved with his family to England when he was 5 years old and became a naturalised citizen. He added the accent to become van Abbé. He studied at London County Council Schools, the People’s Palace, Toynbee Hall
, Central School of Art and at the LCC School of Photoengraving and Lithography at Bolt Court where he met Edmund Blampied
, Robert Charles Peter and John Nicolson
, all fellow etchers.
He was elected an Associate of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers (A.R.E) in 1923 and was a member of the Royal Society of British Artists
(R.B.A.). He was a President of the London Sketch Club
, a member of the Art Workers Guild
and was awarded a bronze medal at the Paris Salon in 1939.
Salomon van Abbé was noted for his drypoints of the legal profession and the law. He signed much of his commercial work as an illustrator “Abbey” or “S. Abbey”, to distinguish himself from his brother Joseph van Abbé (b 1889, d 1954), who signed himself “J. Abbey”. In the 1911 Census in the United Kingdom
the van Abbé family gave their surname as 'Abbey'. Salomon van Abbé also used the pseudonym ‘C. Morse’ because of problems with publishers. Much of his commercial work was to design the dust jackets for books, and he worked for publishers such as Ward Lock & Co
, Collins
, Thomas Nelson
, Thornton Butterworth, Methuen, John Murray
, Skeffingtons, Hamish Hamilton
, Nash and Grayson and Herbert Jenkins. Because his work for publishers was so prolific he designed the dust jackets of many notable books published in the 1920s and ‘30s, including the first "Saint
" book by Leslie Charteris
called Meet the Tiger
(Ward Lock, 1928), The Mystery of the Blue Train
by Agatha Christie
(Collins, 1928) and the first two novels by Dorothy L. Sayers
published by T. Fisher Unwin. In the 1950s he illustrated children’s books for Dent including Treasure Island, Tanglewood Tales, Little Women and Good Wives.
Salomon van Abbé married Hannah Wolff (b 1892, d 1973) on 3 August 1914 at Stoke Newington in London, and they had two sons, Derek (b 1917, d 1982) and Norman (b 1921, d 2003). He was brother-in-law to the Jersey artist Edmund Blampied
who married his sister, Marianne (b 1887, d 1986).
He was born in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
but moved with his family to England when he was 5 years old and became a naturalised citizen. He added the accent to become van Abbé. He studied at London County Council Schools, the People’s Palace, Toynbee Hall
Toynbee Hall
Toynbee Hall is a building in Tower Hamlets, East London which is the home of a charity working to bridge the gap between people of all social and financial backgrounds, with a focus on eradicating poverty and promoting social inclusion....
, Central School of Art and at the LCC School of Photoengraving and Lithography at Bolt Court where he met Edmund Blampied
Edmund Blampied
Edmund Blampied was one of the most eminent artists to come from the Channel Islands, yet he received no formal training in art until he was 16 years old...
, Robert Charles Peter and John Nicolson
John Nicolson (artist)
John Nicolson was an artist, etcher and illustrator for books and periodicals.John Nicolson, known as 'Jock', was an Associate of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers , a member of the Royal Society of British Artists , and a member of the Royal Watercolour Society...
, all fellow etchers.
He was elected an Associate of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers (A.R.E) in 1923 and was a member of the Royal Society of British Artists
Royal Society of British Artists
The Royal Society of British Artists is a British art body established in 1823 as the Society of British Artists, as an alternative to the Royal Academy.-History:...
(R.B.A.). He was a President of the London Sketch Club
London Sketch Club
The London Sketch Club was founded on 1 April 1898 as a social club for artists working in the field of commercial graphic art, mainly for newspapers, periodicals and books. The founder members were Dudley Hardy, Phil May, Walter Fowler, Lance Thackeray, Cecil Aldin, W Sanders Fiske, Walter...
, a member of the Art Workers Guild
Art Workers Guild
The Art Workers Guild or Art-Workers' Guild is an organisation established in 1884 by a group of British architects associated with the ideas of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement. The guild promoted the 'unity of all the arts', denying the distinction between fine and applied art...
and was awarded a bronze medal at the Paris Salon in 1939.
Salomon van Abbé was noted for his drypoints of the legal profession and the law. He signed much of his commercial work as an illustrator “Abbey” or “S. Abbey”, to distinguish himself from his brother Joseph van Abbé (b 1889, d 1954), who signed himself “J. Abbey”. In the 1911 Census in the United Kingdom
Census in the United Kingdom
Coincident full censuses have taken place in the different jurisdictions of the United Kingdom every ten years since 1801, with the exceptions of 1941 and in both Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State in 1921; simultaneous censuses were taken in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, with...
the van Abbé family gave their surname as 'Abbey'. Salomon van Abbé also used the pseudonym ‘C. Morse’ because of problems with publishers. Much of his commercial work was to design the dust jackets for books, and he worked for publishers such as Ward Lock & Co
Ward Lock & Co
Ward Lock & Co was a publishing house in the United Kingdom that started as a partnership and developed until it was eventually absorbed into the publishing combine of Orion Publishing Group.-History:...
, Collins
William Collins (publisher)
William Collins was a Scottish schoolmaster and publisher.Collins was born near Glasgow in 1789. In 1819 he set up a publishing business, initially selling religious books. He produced the first Collins dictionary in 1824, when he also obtained a licence to publish the Bible...
, Thomas Nelson
Thomas Nelson (publisher)
Thomas Nelson is a publishing firm that began in Scotland in 1798 as the namesake of its founder. Its former US division is currently the sixth largest American trade publisher and the world's largest Christian publisher. It is owned by the private equity firm Kohlberg & Company...
, Thornton Butterworth, Methuen, John Murray
John Murray (publisher)
John Murray is an English publisher, renowned for the authors it has published in its history, including Jane Austen, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Lord Byron, Charles Lyell, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Herman Melville, and Charles Darwin...
, Skeffingtons, Hamish Hamilton
Hamish Hamilton
Hamish Hamilton Limited was a British book publishing house, founded in 1931 eponymously by the half-Scot half-American Jamie Hamilton . Confusingly, Jamie Hamilton was often referred to as Hamish Hamilton...
, Nash and Grayson and Herbert Jenkins. Because his work for publishers was so prolific he designed the dust jackets of many notable books published in the 1920s and ‘30s, including the first "Saint
Simon Templar
Simon Templar is a British fictional character known as The Saint featured in a long-running series of books by Leslie Charteris published between 1928 and 1963. After that date, other authors collaborated with Charteris on books until 1983; two additional works produced without Charteris’s...
" book by Leslie Charteris
Leslie Charteris
Leslie Charteris , born Leslie Charles Bowyer-Yin, was a half-Chinese, half English author of primarily mystery fiction, as well as a screenwriter. He was best known for his many books chronicling the adventures of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint."-Early life:Charteris was born to a Chinese father...
called Meet the Tiger
Meet the Tiger
Meet the Tiger is the title of an action-adventure novel written by Leslie Charteris. In England it was first published by Ward Lock in 1928; in the United States it was first published by Doubleday's The Crime Club imprint in 1929. It was the first novel in a long-running series of books ...
(Ward Lock, 1928), The Mystery of the Blue Train
The Mystery of the Blue Train
The Mystery of the Blue Train is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by William Collins & Sons on March 29, 1928 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year. The UK edition retailed at seven shillings and sixpence and the US edition at...
by Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
(Collins, 1928) and the first two novels by Dorothy L. Sayers
Dorothy L. Sayers
Dorothy Leigh Sayers was a renowned English crime writer, poet, playwright, essayist, translator and Christian humanist. She was also a student of classical and modern languages...
published by T. Fisher Unwin. In the 1950s he illustrated children’s books for Dent including Treasure Island, Tanglewood Tales, Little Women and Good Wives.
Salomon van Abbé married Hannah Wolff (b 1892, d 1973) on 3 August 1914 at Stoke Newington in London, and they had two sons, Derek (b 1917, d 1982) and Norman (b 1921, d 2003). He was brother-in-law to the Jersey artist Edmund Blampied
Edmund Blampied
Edmund Blampied was one of the most eminent artists to come from the Channel Islands, yet he received no formal training in art until he was 16 years old...
who married his sister, Marianne (b 1887, d 1986).
Notable books illustrated by Salomon van Abbé
All published in the UK unless otherwise noted.- John GalsworthyJohn GalsworthyJohn Galsworthy OM was an English novelist and playwright. Notable works include The Forsyte Saga and its sequels, A Modern Comedy and End of the Chapter...
(1930). Loyalties. London: Duckworth. - William Kent (1947). My Lord MayorLord Mayor of LondonThe Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
and the City of LondonCity of LondonThe City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
. London: Herbert Jenkins. - Carola Oman (1949). Robin HoodRobin HoodRobin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
. London J.M. Dent & Sons.