Ernest Howard Shepard
Ernest Howard Shepard was a renowned British illustrator best known for his work on classic children's literature, particularly his illustrations for A. A. Milne's "Winnie-the-Pooh" and Kenneth Grahame's "The Wind in the Willows." Born into a family that encouraged his artistic talents, Shepard pursued formal art training at the Royal Academy Schools, where he met his future wife, Florence Chaplin. He illustrated over 150 children's books throughout his career, and his distinctive style has left a lasting impact on generations of readers. In addition to his book illustrations, Shepard contributed political cartoons to the magazine Punch and served as a major in the Royal Artillery during World War I, earning a military cross for his service. His life included personal losses, including the death of his son in the war, and he later remarried. In his later years, he published two autobiographies and continued to create illustrations, earning multiple awards, including the Order of the British Empire in 1972. Shepard's legacy is celebrated for bringing beloved literary characters to life through his art, making him a cherished figure in children's literature.
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Subject Terms
Ernest Howard Shepard
Illustrator
- Born: December 10, 1879
- Birthplace: London, England
- Died: March 24, 1976
- Place of death: Lodsworth, England
Biography
One of the most well-known and beloved illustrators of children’s books, Ernest Howard Shepard created enduring images that have had an impact on children from around the world. He illustrated more than 150 books for children, contributed political cartoons to the satirical magazine Punch, and then, in his later years, produced two notable autobiographies.
Shepard seemed destined to be an artist. His father, architect Henry Dunkin Shepard, recognized Shepard’s ability and steered him toward a career in art, even renting a studio so that Shepard could pursue his talents in a disciplined way. Shepard’s mother, Harriet Jessie Lee Shepard, the daughter of watercolorist William Lee, also encouraged his work. After attending St. Paul’s School in London from 1892 until 1894, Shepard started his art training in earnest, first attending Heatherleys Art School, and then enrolling in 1897 at the Royal Academy Schools on a scholarship. He met his future wife, Florence Chaplin, at the Royal Academy, and they were married in 1904. Their son, Graham Howard, was killed in World War II and their daughter, Mary Eleanor, went on to become an illustrator herself, creating drawings for P. L. Travers’s Mary Poppins books under her married name, Mrs. E. G. B. Knox. Shepard’s wife died in 1927, and he married Norah Radcliffe Mary Carroll in 1944.
Before World War I, Shepard worked steadily as a book illustrator and cartoonist for Punch. From 1915 through 1919, he served in the Royal Artillery in World War I, becoming a major and receiving the military cross.
After the war, especially from 1921 until the 1940’s, Shepard produced his best-known work. His famous drawings grace the pages of A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh books and Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows, illustrations that are an indelible and integral part of the stories. In all, Shepard illustrated more than seventy-five Milne editions, including such spin-offs as Winnie-the-Pooh calendars, journals, board books, and song books which continued to be published after his death. His illustrations also were included in six Grahame editions. Shepard famously made visits to the homes of both Milne and Grahame, sketching scenes, characters, toys, and artifacts that served as the basis for the books and which became the iconic images of his illustrations. Shepard’s visit won over the skeptical Grahame, then in his later years, and convinced him that his beloved Rat, Mole, Toad, and Badger would be in safe and loving hands.
In his eighties, Shepard published and and illustrated the autobiographies Drawn from Memory (1957) and Drawn from Life (1962). Well into his nineties, he continued to illustrate children’s books and to add color to book illustrations from his previous work. Shepard won four Lewis Carroll Shelf awards for The Wind in the Willows (1931), The World of Pooh (1958), The World of Christopher Robin (1958), and The Reluctant Dragon (1938). He was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1972. He died at the age of ninety-four in Lodsworth, England.