Shepard (1879 - 1976) is particularly associated with PUNCH magazine and, much to his irritation, that tedious shuffler, Winnie the Pooh. I have tried here to emphasise the delicicay, wit and sheer professionalism of Shepard's art. He died in Sussex at the age of 94 but seemed to have been active in illustration for longer than that. He had been recommended to PUNCH by Linley Sambourne, and ended up being sacked by the ghastly Malcolm Muggeridge.
Although it is often said he was not the ideal political cartoonist - lacking sustained recognition of well known faces, his landscape settings are worth the money alone. Perhaps he finds his resting place in the Halls of Fame with The Wind in the Willows. Published without illustrations first in 1908, Shepard's edition was first published in 1931 and the Methuen edition in colour in 1971.
I want you to be able to compare the editions, with and without colour, and to further compare Shepard's visualisations with those by Arthur Rackham.
The Wind in the Willows endpapers
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