Walter Crane

Walter Crane was born in Lancashire in 1845 and worked as a designer and illustrator. In particular, he is known for his children’s book illustrations as part of the Arts and Crafts movement, a diligent student of Ruskin. His work was primarily painted but he later experimented in many different mediums. He was a committed socialist and saw art as a tool for transforming society. He wrote a book called ‘The Claims of Decorative Arts’. He joined the Socialist League through his association with William Morris. He was the first president of the Art Workers Guild in 1884, and president of the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society from 1888 – 1890 and again from 1895 until his death in 1915. He designed a fabric for Warner & Sons called England and France in 1908, a wool tapestry for the Franco-British Exhibition.