An archive of original artwork, including woodblocks et al., along with some printed material relating to her career. - The 'Prospectus and Time-Table' for Elizabeth's Hammond's first year (1940-1) at Maidstone College of Art- An edition of Francis Bacon's essay 'Of Gardens', published by the College in 1946, with her wood-engraved illustrations and this copy with EH's note at end 'Re-bound by Elizabeth Hammond, 1948'- 9 woodblocks of varying sizes (4 of which with Christmas designs, 1 carrying sixteen small engravings)- A proof sheet with the 7 vignette engravings from the latter block- Original engraved zinc plate for wild rose illustration, with 5 prints of same, all differently coloured- Silk-screen stencil for hot air balloon ride illustration- A hand-drawn 'Bon Voyage' card, illustrated on 3 panels by EH with manuscript message inside- Original mock-up design for Faber edition of Walton's Complete Angler, unpublished, with proof of published design for Everyman edition of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales- Proofs of etchings, including multiple prints of 'The Gateway' dated 1986, all differently coloured and mounted, and two variant proofs for a small etching of a medieval lady - A wood-engraved bookplate[?] design printed on blue paper- Various sketches and portraits in pen and ink, including a portrait of Cézanne, a drawing of two birds, some female nudes, and designs for textiles, Christmas card, etc., along with a few pages of notes (approx. 15 sheets)- A study for cloud classification in gouache and pastel, captioned in pencil with space left for text- 2 copies of Christmas card with EH lino-cut design to front- A few page-proofs for her illustrations from various books- Wood-engraved Christmas design (Robin), hand-coloured- Sundry other pieces

Bookseller Notes

Elizabeth Hammond was born in Southern Rhodesia in 1926, but the family returned to England when she was young; the wartime call-up enabled her to gain early attendance to Maidstone College of Art, following which she attended the Royal College of Art, from which she graduated in 1949. Whilst at Maidstone she illustrated an edition of Bacon's essay 'Of Gardens', published by the College and present in this archive (the book otherwise scarce), and she was busy with illustration work throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s for Weidenfeld & Nicolson, on a series of historical books for younger readers, Frederick Muller, Everyman's Library, et al. Her day-job consisted of teaching at Medway College, where her students included Tracey Emin and Zandra Rhodes. The latter's eminence in textile design perhaps owes a little to Hammond, whose interest in that field is reflected in her being a founding member of the Costume Society and is represented by a few pieces in this archive. The greater part of the original artwork here comprises engravings, including 9 of Hammond's woodblocks one of which features some 16 small engravings for vignette and border designs, with all of the 7 vignettes present on a proof sheet. There are further prints of her wood-engravings, and some of her work in lino and zinc (the original engraved plate present) and etchings in some cases in multiple versions, each differently coloured. The collection includes proofs from her illustration work, including of her dustjacket design for the Everyman edition of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, alongside her original mock-up for a Faber edition of Walton's Compleat Angler (this seemingly unpublished), as well as various sketches in ink and pencil and scattered notes. Among the most charming items are a hand-drawn 'Bon Voyage' card illustrated by Hammond on three panels with her manuscript message inside (either unsent or this a retained draft) and an original silk-screen stencil of a hot-air balloon ride. The prospectus and time-table for her first year at Maidstone College (1940-41) and a late etching called 'The Gateway' form the respective poles in the archive's chronological span, offering a compelling record of a busy career.