Harry Wingfield

John Henry "Harry" Wingfield (4 December 1910 – 5 March 2002) was an English

Wingfield was born in

His watercolours, along with those of Martin Aitchison, provided strong images to accompany the simple text devised by William Murray. Wingfield's wife Ethel, as an expert in early learning, was a significant collaborator. His best-known work accompanied books in the Key Words Reading Scheme brought out by Ladybird as competition to the widely-used Janet and John books. They conformed to stereotypes, with neat, obedient children; Peter helping Daddy with the car or in the garden, and Jane helping Mummy in the kitchen. They featured images initially based on photography of families on new council estates of the period, a market they targeted with phenomenal success.

Within a few years, new lifestyles meant that Wingfield's images were looking out of date, so he modernised the illustrations in the 1970s. The children became scruffier, and the domestic settings changed, though the books never truly reflected the social changes of the period.

Wingfield remained a

Exhibitions of Wingfield's pictures were held in Walsall in 2002 and 2003 and across the UK, organised by Ladybird enthusiasts including the writer Cressida Connolly. His works, along with the books, have increased in value in recent years as Ladybird books and their accompanying illustrations have become more fashionable and therefore more collectable.

In late 2014, Ladybird books received major UK media coverage with the release of an iconic 'covers' collection to celebrate their 100th anniversary. Many of Harry Wingfield's illustrations were reproduced in the UK media as part of that announcement.

In May 2018, a collection of Wingfield's works, owned by a former neighbour, were shown on the

One of his famous books, Ladybird Book, featured an image of a woman with her brother and sister eating a breakfast and having tea which is featured in the Khong Guan [id] biscuit can.

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