When Johnny Came Marching Home (Original)
Medium: Gouache on Board
Size: 4" x 10" (110mm x 260mm)
Date: 1973
Code: BruceTommy
This is the unique original Gouache painting by Ralph Bruce.
Portrait of "Tommy Atkins" the stereotype of the British soldier of World War One. Used as an ideal to represent the problems faced by returning troops in the Look and Learn series "The Torn '20's". Many soldiers found it hard to get work, unemployment stood at 16% in 1921.
This is from part one published in issue 601, 21st July 1973.
- Artist BiographyRalph Bruce
Ralph Bruce was a talented illustrator who worked for Look and Learn in the 1960s. Until the mid-1960s he was a regular artist for The Children's Newspaper and was probably brought to the educational paper by former Children's Newspaper editor, John Davies, who took over the editorship of Look and Learn in 1965.
His artwork covered a huge range of subjects. His historical illustrations ranged from ancient Greece and Roman Britain, to the eras of Shakespeare, Caxton and modern journalism. He was particularly adept at portraits and drew everyone from Dickens to the Beatles for Look and Learn as well as contributing covers for various series, including Famous Couples and When They Were Young in the late 1960s. Some of his best work was contributed to the long-running series The Story of Opera, penned by Robin May.
Prior to working for Look and Learn, Bruce had illustrated book covers for Digit Books in the late 1950s, titles including The Deep Six by Martin Dibner, I Came Back by Krysyna Zywulska, White August by John Boland, Air Patrol Biscay by Richard T. Bickers, Horns of the Dragon by Felix Trigg, Battle of the Bulge by William M. Stokoe, The God of Channel 1 by Donald Stacy, Nor Iron Bars a Cage by W. H. Aston, all in 1957.
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