Lewis Baumer (1870–1963), born Lewis Christopher Edward Baumer, was a painter, printmaker and notable illustrator, born in London, who lived in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.
He worked for the British magazine Punch over fifty years, beginning in 1897, a light social commentator in his contemporary drawings, described as having “a fizzy charm”.
He was also a portrait and still-life painter, pastellist, and illustrator of magazines and books, mainly for children.
His legacy includes many portraits, advertisements, and still-lifes from the first half of the twentieth century. He contributed to the revival of the pastel portrait tradition and produced many other media, including oil, watercolour, gouache, and etching.
Baumer studied at St John’s Wood Schools of Art, Royal College of Art and Royal Academy Schools. An Arts Club member, from the 1920s Baumer concentrated on his illustrative work, drawing for many other magazines besides Punch, including Jerome K Jerome’s The Idler, Pick-Me-Up, and The Strand Magazine.
Authors of books he illustrated ranged from Ian Hay to Washington Irving and Mrs Molesworth.
His own illustrated books include Did You Ever?, a whimsical story book published by W&R Chambers in 1903. (A copy of this currently being offered here on Catawiki).
His work has been exhibited extensively at Fine Art Society and RI, also at Cooling Galleries, ROI and Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool.
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Art and Illustration, Features, Other Worlds
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