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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 21–40 of 48 objects

Sketchbook, with ‘Paris/London/ Eastbourne/Hove 1952’ on label on spine

James Boswell
1952
View by appointment

Sketchbook, with ‘1953’ inside front cover

James Boswell
1953
View by appointment

Sketchbook, with Boswell’s name and address and ‘1953’ inside front cover

James Boswell
1953
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Sketchbook, with ‘Roughs for ‘A kid for two farthings 1953’ on the label on the spine

James Boswell
1953
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Sketchbook, with ‘East end - Cats 1953’ on the label on the spine and ‘1953’ inside front cover

James Boswell
1953
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Sketchbook, with ‘Bucharest 1953’ on the label on the spine and ‘1953?’ inside front cover

James Boswell
[c.1953]
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Sketchbook, with ‘1954’ erased and ‘1953’ written inside the front cover

James Boswell
1953–4
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Sketchbook, with ‘Paris Bucharest and London 1953’ on the label on the spine

James Boswell
1953
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Sketchbook, with ‘Roughs for Everest 1953’ on a label on the spine

James Boswell
1953
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Sketchbook, with ‘La Flotte and Paris’ on the inside cover

James Boswell
[c.1953–4]
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Sketchbook, with ‘1953/4’ on the inside cover

James Boswell
1953–4
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Sketchbook, with ‘Beg Meil’ on the spine

James Boswell
1955
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Sketchbook, with ‘Chartres 1956’ on the spine

James Boswell
1956
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Sketchbook, with ’‘The winning art’ sketches’ and ‘Mental Hospital for S.T.1958’ on the spine

James Boswell
1958
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Sketchbook, with ‘Dieppe, August 1958’ on the spine

James Boswell
1958
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Sketchbook, with ‘Marseille 1959’ on the spine and the artist’s name and address inside the front cover

James Boswell
1959
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Sketchbook, with ‘Birmingham Roughs’ on the spine

James Boswell
[c.1963]
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Sketchbook, labelled ‘Shell’ on the spine

James Boswell
[c.1936–47]
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Sketchbook, with ‘Writings’ on the spine

James Boswell
date not known
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Sketchbook containing post-war studies

James Boswell
date not known
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Artwork
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