Joan Hassall - An Overview of Hassall's Work

An Overview of Hassall's Work

Hassall’s output consists largely of wood engravings. Some are independent engravings, mostly produced at the beginning of her career; the vast majority, however, are illustrations for books. Producing these illustrations, along with commercial commissions, was how Hassall earned her living. Her work tends to the small and meticulously observed, rather than the large and dramatic, the vignette rather than the full-page plate. Her place in the history of wood engraving is that of the highly skilled and valued practitioner rather than the innovator.

She produced a great deal of commercial and more ephemeral work – bookplates, letterheads, Christmas and other cards, menus and other printed material for British Transport Hotels, booklets for British Transport films, illustrations for magazines, etc.. Her style is easy to recognise, even when work is unsigned.

Most of her work is wood-engraved, but she also used scraperboard, line drawings, water colour and oils.

Some of her work was quite high profile. In 1948 Hassall designed the £1 postage stamp issued in commemoration of the Royal Silver Wedding of King George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. She won the competition to design the invitation to the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II; she had to use scraperboard to produce the final design as there was not enough time to produce a wood engraving for such a large and complex design. She also designed the personal invitation that Prince Charles received to the coronation.

David Chambers' book gives full listings of her work.