A unique, personalised copy of Frances Cornford’s 1923 poetry collection, amply illustrated with engravings by Eric Gill; from the library of British artists Ernest and Catherine Hill: a lovely copy.
Frances Cornford (1886-1960, née Frances Crofts Darwin) was an English poet. Granddaughter of Charles Darwin, she was a cousin of Gwen Ravrat, with whom she collaborated on later collections and to whom, alongside her husband Jacques, Cornford and Gill dedicated the edition: “To J. & G.R. from F.C. & E.G.”
Ernest F. Hill, RBSA (1873-1960) was a British painter, arts educator and Vice President of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists (RSBA). An early Newlyn group member, he worked primarily in watercolour, favouring British landscape and coastal scenes; he exhibited at the Royal Academy until 1946, Royal Institute of Oil Painters, but his paintings were most often hung in Birmingham (CAI, 2021). Hill was Headmaster of the prestigious Bournville School of Art and Crafts, and was well-connected in regional cultural networks, as well as with the Cadbury family. Less in known of Catherine Hill, who was a watercolour artist, print maker and book binder. Their library reflects these interests, featuring numerous arts and crafts, typographical and fine press books, often in excellent condition, thanks to the addition of hand-marbled wrappers, and occasionally personalised, as here.
Gill, 273