William Kermode
Encyclopedia
William Kermode MC was an artist best known for his illustrations to Henry Williamson's The Patriot's Progress, published in 1930. The illustrations were linocut
s, an unusual medium.
William Kermode was born in Hobart, Tasmania in 1895. During the First World War he served on the Western Front with the British Army, being awarded the Military Cross. Post-war he maintained a studio in Pimlico, London. He died in 1959, aged 64.
He fought in the British Army, during the First World War I914-18 and was awarded the Military Cross for Gallantry.
In the Second World War he served as Observer Corps Liaison Officer at Fighter Command Headquarters, Uxbridge.
He died aged 64 in Ashford Hospital, Kent.
Kermode studied at MacNab’s Grosvenor School of Modern Art, probably between 1925-8 and is believed to have shown linocuts at the first British Exhibition of the medium at The Redfern Gallery, London in 1929. He designed posters for the London Underground
in 1924 including “Leave this and Move to Edgware” printed by the Westminster Press. In 1928 Kermode was introduced to Henry Williamson
by the well-known literary critic Sir John (Jack) Squire. Kermode had made linocuts from his war experiences and wanted someone to write short caption-like paragraphs. The result was the highly-acclaimed Patriot’s Progress, today considered as an important contribution to the literature of World War I. Kermode also provided a cover design for a cheap edition of Tarka the Otter, published in 1929. He is also known to have illustrated The Specialist by Charles Sale. Kermode wrote on the subject of colour linocuts applied to advertising and made a number of independent linocuts in monochrome from about 1920, in small editions. He published Drawing on Scraperboard for Beginners in 1938. A fact of Kermode’s work, as yet undocumented and largely ignored, is the variety of birding covers and dust wrappers which he designed, some from linocut and many bearing the simple initial “K”. Sybil Andrews attended a lecture and demonstration by William Kermode on wood-block printing at Heatherley’s School of Art, London in the 20’s.
A short obituary following his death and written by Owen Rowley appeared on page 12 of The Times on Thursday February 5, 1959.
Linocut
Linocut is a printmaking technique, a variant of woodcut in which a sheet of linoleum is used for the relief surface. A design is cut into the linoleum surface with a sharp knife, V-shaped chisel or gouge, with the raised areas representing a reversal of the parts to show printed...
s, an unusual medium.
William Kermode was born in Hobart, Tasmania in 1895. During the First World War he served on the Western Front with the British Army, being awarded the Military Cross. Post-war he maintained a studio in Pimlico, London. He died in 1959, aged 64.
Biography
William A. Kermode was born in Hobart, Tasmania, where his family were among the early landowners. He probably came to England in 1911.He fought in the British Army, during the First World War I914-18 and was awarded the Military Cross for Gallantry.
In the Second World War he served as Observer Corps Liaison Officer at Fighter Command Headquarters, Uxbridge.
He died aged 64 in Ashford Hospital, Kent.
Kermode studied at MacNab’s Grosvenor School of Modern Art, probably between 1925-8 and is believed to have shown linocuts at the first British Exhibition of the medium at The Redfern Gallery, London in 1929. He designed posters for the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
in 1924 including “Leave this and Move to Edgware” printed by the Westminster Press. In 1928 Kermode was introduced to Henry Williamson
Henry Williamson
Henry William Williamson was an English naturalist, farmer and prolific author known for his natural and social history novels. He won the Hawthornden Prize for literature in 1928 with his book Tarka the Otter....
by the well-known literary critic Sir John (Jack) Squire. Kermode had made linocuts from his war experiences and wanted someone to write short caption-like paragraphs. The result was the highly-acclaimed Patriot’s Progress, today considered as an important contribution to the literature of World War I. Kermode also provided a cover design for a cheap edition of Tarka the Otter, published in 1929. He is also known to have illustrated The Specialist by Charles Sale. Kermode wrote on the subject of colour linocuts applied to advertising and made a number of independent linocuts in monochrome from about 1920, in small editions. He published Drawing on Scraperboard for Beginners in 1938. A fact of Kermode’s work, as yet undocumented and largely ignored, is the variety of birding covers and dust wrappers which he designed, some from linocut and many bearing the simple initial “K”. Sybil Andrews attended a lecture and demonstration by William Kermode on wood-block printing at Heatherley’s School of Art, London in the 20’s.
A short obituary following his death and written by Owen Rowley appeared on page 12 of The Times on Thursday February 5, 1959.