Artists' and illustrators' signatures

Many of the most famous artists and illustrators have worked for magazines, from the Pre-Raphaelites to Tracey Emin. However, identifying their signatures and monograms can be tricky. This page shows magnified scans from magazines.

Two companion books profile many magazine artists and illustrators, despite their titles, because so many book illustrators did work for both and many were first seen in magazines. Both books show a few of the trickier monograms:

• The Dictionary of 19th Century British Book Illustrators by Simon Houfe
• The Dictionary of 20th Century British Book Illustrators by Alan Horne

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S Abbey / Salomon van Abbé

S Abbey's signature from a 1914 copy of Kitchener's Army, a wartime part work. This will be Salomon van Abbé (born Amsterdam in 1883, died in London, 1955), who was also known as Jack van Abbé or Jack Abbey. His brother, Joseph van Abbé (1889–1954), used the signature ‘J. Abbey’. To add to the potential confusion, the 1912 Father Christmas cover for The Royal was credited to 'Miss S. Abbey'. The signatures below are from 1911 Woman's Magazine and 1936 Help Yourself covers

Cecil Aldin

Cecil Aldin's monogram from a 1925 copy of English Life. Alden was famous for his hunting illustrations and paintings

Albert Bailey

Albert Bailey's partial signature, preceded by year date, from a 1924 copy of 20 Story magazine.

Bruce Bairnsfather

Bruce Bairnsfather's signature with a picture of Old Bill, his most famous creation, on the titlepiece of Bystander from 1918.

Margaret Banks

Margaret Banks signature from a 1938 Home Chat magazine cover.

William Barribal

William Henry Barribal was famous for his depictions of beautiful women. This signature is from a 1924 copy of Home magazine.

Lewis Baumer

Lewis Baumer signature on an advert for Abdullah cigarettes from the back cover of a 1922 copy of Punch magazine.

Harold Beards

Harold Beards signature from a 1941 copy of Blighty magazine.

Cecil Beaton

Cecil Beaton signature on a 1962 sketch for a costume design for the film My Fair Lady.

Dorothy Belasco

Dorothy Belasco signature from a 1919 copy of New Illustrated magazine.

Bernard Buffett

Bernard Buffet's signature on a 1962 copy of Topic magazine

Hilda Cowham

Hilda Cowham's signature in an 1898 copy of Pick-Me-Up magazine. She was married to another artist, Edgar Lander

Walter Crane

Six Walter Crane monograms from magazine covers between 1884 and 1898. The monogram was composed of a ‘W’ split in two by the image of a standing crane in profile, the whole enclosed by a ‘C’, usually with a strong serif on the top arm. The crane silhouette became more simple over the years. The monogram varies in size, is sometimes nestled among decorative elements in the design and there is no standard positioning, so it can be difficult to spot.

Crow

Monogram from an 1898 copy of Pick-Me-Up magazine.

CUPE

Unknown CUPE monogram from a 1909 copy of The Idler magazine.

Cecil W Bacon (CWB)

Cecil Bacon monogram from a 1954 copy of Radio Times.

Frank Dadd

Frank Dadd monogram from an Abdullah cigarettes advert in a 1916 copy of Blighty.

Charles Lamb Davidson

Glasgow artist Charles Lamb Davidson's signature from a 1931 copy of the Red Poppy magazine. He did cartoons for the Glasgow Evening Times.

JH Dowd

James H Dowd monogram from the titlepiece of a 1916 copy of Bystander.

RD – Richard Doyle

Richard Doyle monogram from the cover of an 1893 copy of Punch.

EAO

EAO – EA Overnell – monogram from the cover of a 1959 copy of the Post Office magazine.

East

Laurence? East – unknown monogram from the cover of a 1928 copy of Health and Efficiency.

Keith McKay [Kay] Edmunds

Keith McKay Edmunds signed himself 'Kay Edmunds' with '18' as the date on the 1918 Christmas cover of Blighty magazine.

Howard Elcock

Howard Elcock monogram from the cover of a 1929 copy of Looker On.

Tracey Emin

Tracey Emin signature from Time Out in 2014.

Treyer Evans

Treyer Evans monogram from the cover of a 1928 copy of London Opinion.

Fairbairn

Unknown – Fairbairn monogram from the cover of a 1937 copy of Cavalcade.

E Fenn

E Fenn monogram from the cover of a 1941 copy of The Leader.

Arthur Ferrier

Logo for Arthur Ferrier's Funfare cartoon from a 1958 copy of Blighty.

Flappet

Unknown – Flappet monogram from a 1911 copy of Photo Bits.

John Flett

John Flett monogram from the cover of a 1988 copy of Marie Claire.

Fougasse – Kenneth Cyril Bird

Fougasse – Kenneth Cyril Bird – took his nom de crayon from a type of French landmine. This signature is from a 1939 copy of Punch.

Eric Fraser

Eric Fraser monogram from the cover of a 1962 copy of Radio Times.

Harry Furniss

Harry Furniss monogram from the Pears' soap advert in a 1910 copy of TP's Magazine.

Kate Greenaway

Kate Greenaway initials as signature from the Illustrated London News in 1879

Harding

Harding – unknown signature from a 1926 copy of Home Chat.

PB Hickling

PB Hickling signature from a 1924 copy of Home Chat.

Edgar Lander

Illustrator Edgar Lander's signature from a 1919 copy of New Illustrated magazine. Lander also did work for Harmsworth's Boys' Friend comic and Royal. He was married to another artist, Hilda Cowham.

An earlier Lander signature, from a 1905 copy of The Penny Magazine.

Alfred Leete

Early Alfred Leete signature from a 1909 postcard.

Alfred Leete signature from a 1926 copy of London Opinion.

F Lingstrom

F Lingstrom signature from the cover of a 1940 cover of Gramophone.

Douglas Mackenzie

Douglas Mackenzie signature from the cover of a 1904 cover of The Penny Magazine.

Mackinlay

Mackinlay signature from the cover of a 1943 copy of Girl's Own.

Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney signature from the cover of a 1967 copy of Beatwave.

AF Merritt

AF Merritt signature from an advert in a 1923 copy of Modern Advertising.

Nellie Miller

Nellie Miller signature from a 1913 cover of Mother and Home.

Henry Moore

Signature of the sculptor Henry Moore for his artwork on the cover of a 1978 copy of Encounter, celebrating 25 years of the current affairs magazine.

Albert Morrow

Albert Morrow signature from a 1924 copy of The New magazine.

LF Muckle

LF Muckle – Louis Fairfax Muckle – signature from the cover of an 1899 copy of Harmsworth magazine.

Harold Nelson

Harold Nelson signature from the cover of a 1905 copy of The Penny Magazine.

CRW Nevinson

CRW Nevinson – Christopher Richard Wynne Nevinson – signature from the cover of a 1937 copy of Radio Times.

Ernest Noble

Ernest Noble signature from the cover of a 1915 copy of Kitchener's Army partwork.

EA Overnell

EA Overnell signature from the cover of a 1914 copy of The Quiver.

Will Owen

Will Owen signature from a 1927 copy of London Opinion.

Bernard Partridge

Bernard Partridge signature from a 1922 copy of Punch.

Joseph Pennell

Joseph Pennell signature from the first issue of Architectural Review in 1896.

Alexander Popini

Alexander Popini monogram from illustration in Pearson's Magazine in 1920.

Bertram Prance

Bertram Prance signature from the cover of a 1926 copy of London Opinion.

Bradshaw Prandell

Bradshaw Prandell signature from the cover of a 1938 copy of Nash's.

Tom Purvis

Tom Purvis signature from the cover of a 1910 copy of The London.

Tom Purvis signature from a cover of The London in 1929.

Sam Rabin

Sam Rabin signature from a 1948 Lilliput.

Reversed Sam Rabin signature, as printed, from the 1948 Lilliput.

Arthur Rackham

Arthur Rackham signature from the 1898 first issue cover of The Ladies Field.

Arthur Rackham signature from the cover of a 1904 copy of The Penny Magazine.

Reinganum

Reinganum signature from the cover of a 1956 copy of Radio Times.

Hans Reitz

Hans Reitz signature from an 1898 copy of Pick-Me-Up.

Rilette (Charles Robinson Sykes)

Rilette, the nom de crayon of Charles Robinson Sykes from a back-page advert for Arrol-Johnston cars in the January 1917 issue of the King’s Highway. He was cited as a model illustrator for advertising in a 1916 issue of Drawing magazine. He drew for Erasmic shaving sticks (eg Punch, Sept 25 1918, back page), De Reszke cigarettes (eg, Britannia & Eve, June 1929, p129), London and North Eastern Railway and Evan Williams henna shampoo, as well as Arrol-Johnston, with Rilette underscored by three wavy lines. He also did the cover designs for Hutchinson’s monthly Woman magazine between 1924 and 1929. The V&A holds six of these Woman covers and another 50 of his sketches, but few are shown online.

RMN

RMN signature from the cover of a 1908 copy of Bookman.

Harry Hudson Rodmell

Harry Hudson Rodmell's signature from a 1919 copy of New Illustrated magazine. Rodmell specialised in maritime paintings after serving during WWI with the Royal Engineers.

Lilian Rowles

Lilian Rowles signature from a 1924 Wright's Coal Tar soap advert in Eve.

Linley Sambourne

Linley Sambourne signature from the cover of an 1897 copy of The Englishwoman. It reads: 'Linley Sambourne dated January 1895.'

Robert Sauber

Robert Sauber signature from the cover of a 1905 copy of Woman's Life.

Norah Schlegel

Norah Schlegel signature from the cover of a 1914 copy of Quiver.

Ronald Searle

Ronald Searle signature from the cover of a 1956 copy of Punch.

EH Shepard

Ernest Howard Shepard signature from a 1928 colour plate in Home Chat.

GS Sherwood

GS Sherwood signature on the cover of a 1932 copy of London Opinion.

Leonard Shields

Leonard Shields signature on the cover of a 1919 copy of New Illustrated.

Edward Frederick Skinner

Edward Frederick Skinner's signature from War Illustrated magazine in 1919.

John Swain

John Swain's signature from a 1888 copy of Mother's Friend magazine.

Walter Trier

Walter Trier signature from the cover of a 1941 copy of Lilliput.

Bert Thomas

Bert Thomas's signature from the Humorist magazine in 1939. Thomas produced one of the most famous images of the First World War – the Tommy lighting a pipe with the caption 'Arf a Mo', Kaiser!, which first appeared in the Weekly Dispatch in 1914.

MB Tompkins

MB Tompkins signature from Blighty magazine cover in 1958.

Trog – Willy Fawkes

Trog – Willy Fawkes – signature from the cover of a 1975 copy of Punch.

Victoria – Ulla Davidson

Victoria – Ulla Davidson – signature from a 1948 Lilliput.

Louis Wain

Louis Wain signature from an 1898 copy of Pick-Me-Up.

EJ Waters

EJ Waters signature on a 1908 copy of the Boy's Own Paper.

Arthur Watts

Arthur Watts signature on a 1928 Players advert in London Opinion.

WDS

WDS signature from a 1915 wartime gas advert in the Financial Times.

Gilbert Wilkinson

Gilbert Wilkinson signature on a 1925 London Mail cover.

Gilbert Wilkinson signature from Illustrated in 1939.

Wilton Williams

Wilton Williams signature from the cover of a 1924 copy of Royal magazine.

Wilton Williams on a 1932 London Opinion cover.

Edgar Wilson

Edgar Wilson signature from the cover of an 1899 copy of Home Chat.

Earlier Edgar Wilson signature from an 1893 cover of The Butterfly.

Yates Wilson

Yates Wilson signature from the cover of a 1946 copy of John Bull.

Lawson Wood

Lawson Wood signature from the cover of a 1903 copy of The Penny Magazine.

Lawson Wood signature, with date ('03), from the cover of a 1904 copy of The Penny Magazine.

Lawson Wood signature from the cover of a 1930 copy of Little Folks. This monogram style was established by 1913.

Harry Woolley

Harry Woolley signature from the cover of a 1920 copy of New Illustrated.

Hermann Zapf

Hermann Zapf signature from a 1995 cover of the RSA Journal.