Cartoons and Coronets

Osbert Lancaster was one of the most famous artistic personalities of his generation. National fame sprang from his invention of the pocket cartoon, which first appeared in 1939 in Beaverbrook's Daily Express. Over the next forty years, he created a cast of characters, headed by the straight talking Countess, Maudie Littlehampton, which, every day, kept the nation chuckling. Osbert's witty depictions of architectural styles, such as Stockbrokers' Tudor and Curzon Street Baroque brought him to prominence in the 1930s. After the war, he became one of the leading theatre and opera designers. He was also a brilliant illustrator working with friends and contemporaries such as Anthony Powell, John Piper and Nancy Mitford. This beautifully illustrated book covers the full range of his work and will be a revelation to those discovering his art and humour for the first time. Publication will coincide with a centenary exhibition, curated by James Knox, at the Wallace Collection in London.