Graves International Art - Harry George Theaker

Born January-March 1873 in Wolstanton, Staffordshire. He was the son of George Theaker (1835-1902, born in Sheffield, Yorkshire), headmaster (principal) of the School of Art in Burslem from 1869-94 and designer for pottery. His younger brother, Charles Edmund (1875-1903) was an apprentice designer modeller and then a teacher at the Wedgwood Institute in Burslem around 1900.

Harry George was an apprentice pottery decorator and then a teacher. He settled in London c.1900-05 and was in charge of design at the Polytechnic in Regent Street from about 1906 onwards, where he also taught courses in 'modelling from design'. Theaker remained at the Polytechnic and is listed in prospectuses as headmaster (principal) between 1931-2 and 1937-38.

Theaker was also a successful illustrator, particularly of children's books. His first known published works date from about 1911, and most of his illustrations date from the 1920s and 1930s. Amongst the books he illustrated are 'The Ingoldsby Legends' by Sir Thomas Ingoldsby, London, 1911; 'Children's Stories from 'The Arabian Nights', by Rose Yeatman Woolf, 1914 (and later editions); 'The Adventures of Don Quixote', c.1920 and 1929; 'Gulliver's Travels', 1928; 'The Water Babies', 1930; 'Grimm's Fairy Tales', 1930; 'Stories of King Arthur', 1925 and 'Long, long ago: stories from the classics' both retold by Blanche Winder, the latter probably in the 1930s (see National Art Library catalogue). Theaker made hand-coloured plates from Sir John Tenniel's original illustrations to 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'Alice Through the Looking Glass' for editions published between 1911 and 1930.