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  • Seventy five drawings and sketchbooks by James Boswell, the graphic artist, illustrator and painter

Seventy five drawings and sketchbooks by James Boswell, the graphic artist, illustrator and painter

1938–59

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Availaible online are all of the sketchbook created by James Boswell. These sketchbooks illustrate many of Boswell's interests and activities. The earliest books contain designs for some of his lithographs and there is a series of war sketchbooks covering the period Boswell was in Scotland (1941-1942) and Iraq and Malta (1942-1944) serving with the Royal Army Medical Corps. His political affiliation shows clearly in many of the wartime drawings where the officers are frequently drawn with bulls' heads and the common soldiers are more sympathetically portrayed. The Sussex coast features prominently in the drawings as do scenes of London life, especially street markets. His interest in Punch and Judy and the theatre is also apparent and many of the post-war sketchbooks form a record of his travels in Bucharest (1953), Paris (1953), Chartres (1956), Dieppe (1958) and Marseille (1959).

Details of the remainder of the collection can be found on the Archive catalogue.

Collection Owner
James Boswell 1906–1971
Collection
Tate Archive
Acquisition
Presented by Ruth Boswell, the artist's widow in 1982
Reference
TGA 8224

48 objects in this collection

  • Seventy five drawings and sketchbooks by James Boswell, the graphic artist, illustrator and painter

    48 Objects

Title
Seventy five drawings and sketchbooks by James Boswell, the graphic artist, illustrator and painter
Date
1938–59
Description
Availaible online are all of the sketchbook created by James Boswell. These sketchbooks illustrate many of Boswell's interests and activities. The earliest books contain designs for some of his lithographs and there is a series of war sketchbooks covering the period Boswell was in Scotland (1941-1942) and Iraq and Malta (1942-1944) serving with the Royal Army Medical Corps. His political affiliation shows clearly in many of the wartime drawings where the officers are frequently drawn with bulls' heads and the common soldiers are more sympathetically portrayed. The Sussex coast features prominently in the drawings as do scenes of London life, especially street markets. His interest in Punch and Judy and the theatre is also apparent and many of the post-war sketchbooks form a record of his travels in Bucharest (1953), Paris (1953), Chartres (1956), Dieppe (1958) and Marseille (1959).

Details of the remainder of the collection can be found on the Archive catalogue.
Reference
TGA 8224

Showing 1–20 of 48 objects

James Boswell Sketchbook containing sketches of Dover and London, with the artist’s name and address inscribed on the inside front cover

1938
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James Boswell Sketchbook containing sketches of street scenes and caricatures

1938–9
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James Boswell Sketchbook containing sketches of street scenes and caricatures

1938–9
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James Boswell Sketchbook containing essays and sketches of London

1939
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James Boswell Sketchbook containing sketches of Punch and Judy

1939
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James Boswell Sketchbook, inscribed inside the front cover with ‘Sketchbook 1940’ and the artist’s name and address

1940
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James Boswell Sketchbook, inscribed inside front cover ‘1940’

1940
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James Boswell Sketchbook, inscribed inside front cover ‘1941/2’, ‘Scotland’

1941–2
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James Boswell Sketchbook containing sketches of Scotland

1942
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James Boswell Sketchbook containing sketches of the Middle East, mostly Iraq (with four inserts)

1942–3
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James Boswell Sketchbook, inscribed inside front cover ‘Iraq, 1943’

1943
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James Boswell Sketchbook with drawings of Iraq and Malta

1943
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James Boswell Sketchbook with drawings of Iraq and studies of Europa

[c.1943]
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James Boswell Sketchbook with ‘1945’ inside front cover and ‘1945 and 1949’ on label on front of cover

1945–9
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James Boswell Sketchbook with studies of the London blitz

1946
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James Boswell Sketchbook containing post-war studies

[c.1950]
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James Boswell Sketchbook containing post-war studies

[c1950]
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James Boswell Sketchbook containing sketches of post-war subjects, London, and Brighton

[c.1950–9]
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James Boswell Sketchbook, inscribed ‘1952/53’ inside front cover

1952–3
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James Boswell Sketchbook, with ‘1952 & 4 & 6’ inside front cover

1952–6
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