Flames raining down, 1951. Creator: Shirley Markham.

Flames raining down, 1951. Creator: Shirley Markham.

2-702-831 - Shirley Markham Collection/Heritage Images

Flames raining down, 1951. Design for illustration to Dante's "Divine Comedy". Shirley Markham (1931-1999) studied Graphic Design and Illustration at Central School of Art in London from 1950-1952. The writer, artist, poet, and illustrator Mervyn Peake (1911-1968) was one of her tutors, and her style of drawing was also influenced by other British illustrators such as Edward Ardizzone, Quentin Blake and Edward Bawden. Markham spent time in the Dolomite Mountains in Italy, and also visited Rome, sketching classical buildings. After graduating from Central, she worked as a graphic designer, producing book illustrations, cartoons for comics, menus and programmes. She gave up her promising career however when she got married in 1957. Middle-class women at that time were expected to devote their energies to bringing up children and running the home, and despite her obvious talent, she lacked the confidence to return to illustration. Her portfolio remained in the family attic for many years, but now her work is published here for the first time.


Image Details


People Information

Creator
  1. Shirley Markham, attributed to: British: Artist, printmaker, illustrator, graphic designer, painter
People Related
  1. Dante Alighieri: Italian: Author, poet, prose writer, literary theorist, moral philosopher, political thinker

Medium
  1. Gouache
  2. Ink
  3. Pen

Category Hierarchy

Religion & Belief Mythology

Society & Culture Art & Literature

People Other


Digital Image Size

Pixel Dimensions (W x H) : 4134x5200
File Size : 62,979kb


Aliases

  1. HIP165
  1. 0910000160
  1. 2-702-831
  1. 2702831
  1. HIP165

Buy a Print  

Keywords - refine your search by combining multiple keywords below.