Ernest Aris

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Ernest Aris
Other namesRobin A Hood and Dan Crow
Occupation(s)author and illustrator

Alfred Ernest Walter George Aris,

FZS, SGA, also known by the pen names Robin A Hood and Dan Crow, (1882–1963), was a writer and illustrator of children's books. He worked on more than 170 publications. Ernest Aris also designed cigarette cards, postcards
, toys and games.

Early life

Aris was born in

Who Was Who in Art and The World Biographical Index of Artists refer to this as the Indian Civil Service School (ICSS).[1]

Career

As a commercial artist, his work was selected by Frank Pick to be archived at the Victoria and Albert Museum. He also designed cigarette cards, postcards, toys and games.

He specialised as a

Royal Society of Painters in Water Colours and the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours.[2]
He entered drawings for the
advertisements
.

He wrote and illustrated children’s books. According to the dust jacket notes for a book published in 1947, he was the "Author and illustrator of some 170 different titles".[4] An article in The Artist (1938)[5] describes him as "an illustrator of over 400 children’s books, a master of the art of pleasing the child mind". There can be no doubt that he was indeed a prolific illustrator, whose work generated a whole new genre in children's illustration and would go on to create a multitude of imitators.

Literary Associations

publisher, Harold Warne, some examples of his work and offered his services. Harold was keen to publish more tales by the reluctant Beatrix and forwarded the books, and Ernest's letter, to her. Rather than be annoyed, she saw this as both a compliment and, as her eyesight was failing and because her hands were getting stiff, an opportunity. She wrote that she had "wished for a long time that you would find some second string – this man to my thinking is just what we want."[7]

Beatrix wrote direct to Ernest commissioning and ultimately purchasing six drawings for a story, which she had in mind as a gift for her niece Nancy. She provided Ernest with some rough sketches and instructions as to composition and colouring, which, together with Ernest's originals are now in the ownership of the Victoria and Albert Museum.[8] In engaging him, she is careful not to let him know that she is Beatrix Potter. Within the month, Ernest has finished the commission, and he forwards the drawings, advising Mrs. Heelis that, "I have not adopted your colour schemes as there was a tendency to be on the sombre side". He also altered the composition.[9] Although she advised, "Russet brown and blue grey check (rather than greens) would show well on the elves clothing" [10] Ernest, in his inimitable way, chose red. [1] Beatrix later used aspects of design and colour presented to her by Ernest. She swapped his meadow bedecked with yellow flowers to open fell, but she retained his two Oakmen carrying a bundle suspended from a pole, which had not been a feature of her draft sketch.[11] He advised her that in one of her sketches, "The figures are a little too near the front of the picture" and she used that comment to open out the design.

publishers.[14]

Warne's did exactly that, and Ernest apologised direct to Beatrix, thus acknowledging his awareness of her literary identity.

bounder" which put paid to plans for a partnership.[13]
He changed publishers and adopted pseudonyms; his work as Robin A Hood is well known, but few are aware that he issued six books as Dan Crow.

Designer of The Cococubs

In 1934, he designed a range of animal characters manufactured by the toy firm of

child psychology". It was a huge success, with some 300,000 children collecting these toy figures, known collectively as the Cococubs, which were hailed as "one of the cleverest publicity schemes of the year" in advertising.[17]

Personal

Aris was hard of hearing, and by the age of 60, he was profoundly

distance-learning. He enjoyed the opera. His other interests included: fishing, travel, entomology, and swimming. He was an inveterate collector, hoarding matchbox labels and stamps as well as cigarette cards; he also enjoyed gardening, and collecting old furniture
.

He was obviously good company, as Beatrix Potter described him as both "amusing" [6] and a "scamp",[18] whilst his pal Charles Bayne (the Editor of Little Folks from 1908 to 1915) said that he had an, "endless store of humorous ideas".[19]

Ernest died (age 80) at his home in Hornsey, North London, on 14 April 1963.

References

  1. ^ Ernest Aris, The Man Who Drew for Beatrix Potter, Dudley Chignall, Lulu Publishing.
  2. ^ Who's Who in Art, 12th Edition,1964 The Art Trade Press, Eastbourne, Sussex
  3. ISBN 1-870461-81-9
  4. ^ The Art of the Pen, Pen-In-Hand Publishing Co, Ltd.
  5. ^ The Artist, September 1938 to February 1939. The Artist Publishing Co. 97 Jermyn Street, London.
  6. ^
    ISBN 0-7232-3437-X
  7. ISBN 0-7232-3437-X
  8. ^ "Ernest Aris", vam.ac.uk, 2009, webpage: VAM-Ernest Archived 2008-10-29 at the Wayback Machine.
  9. ^ Letter dated 18 September 1916 V & A Archives
  10. ^ Contained within a draft sketch. V&A Museum 1135/1146
  11. ^ V&A "The Oakmen" booklet Ref.NN 1.
  12. ^ Contained within a draft sketch. V&A Museum 1147.
  13. ^ a b Letter 10 November 1917 Beatrix Potter's Letters, Judy Taylor, page 239.
    ISBN 0-7232-3437-X
    .
  14. ISBN 0-7232-3437-X
  15. ^ Letter to Potter 21 November 1917, V&A Cat 1470.BP 609.
  16. ^ The Cadbury Cococubs, Dudley Chignall, Lulu Publishing.
  17. ^ Grocery and Provision Merchant journal, November 1934, page 276.
  18. ^ Letter dated 12 January 1921. Beatrix Potter's Letters, Judy Taylor, page 267.
    ISBN 0-7232-3437-X
    .
  19. ^ Famous Animal Tales, George C Harrap, page 5.

External links

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