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The Sketch, 1920-1934

172, Strand, London, W.C.


Blampied had very few drawings published in The Sketch after the first World War. From 1919 to 1927 he worked mostly for The Bystander, Hutchinson's Magazine and Woman, as well as designing dust jackets for books. This was just his commercial work: in the same period he published 56 prints in editions of 100 proofs and produced 27 trial designs that were not published. In 1927 he largely stopped doing commercial work for publishers of books and magazines when he spent 4 months in Tunisia. On his return to London he focussed on designs for drypoints, published a few lithographs and worked on watercolours to show at exhibitions in London.

The Wall Street Crash in 1929 led to the Great Depression which destroyed the market for prints and many previously eager buyers were forced to sell their collections. Although Blampied was at the peak of his skill as a drypoint artist, there was little market for his work and several designs were not published or were issued in small editions.

Blampied was forced to reinvent himself as a humorous cartoonist, and published several lithographs of dogs including a folio of 12 prints called the Hot Dogs Folio. In 1933 he was commissioned by The Illustrated London News to do a series of watercolour drawings of British life, which appeared in the magazine between June 1933 and October 1934. This may explain why the cartoon published in the Christmas issue of The Sketch in 1934 was signed Hebee (see left). Perhaps he was under contract not to work for anyone else?

Photo of colour drawing

A cartoon by Blampied signed Hebee(click to enlarge)




— 1922 —


Issue: 15-Nov-1922, vol. 120, no. 1555, Winter Sports Number, Cover. Type: CO1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: None.

Image of colour drawing


— 1925 —


Issue: 27-Nov-1925, vol. 132, no. 1713A, Christmas Number 1925, p 4. Type: CO1. Price: 2/-.Author: none. Title: None.

[I'm not sure what this drawing is about: there is no caption and no credit either below the illustration or to Blampied as an artist in the magazine.]

Image of colour drawing


— 1933 —


Issue: 24-Nov-1933, vol. 164, no. 2130A, Christmas Number 1933, p 42. Type: CO1. Price: 75c.Author: none. Title: "Whopee".

[This illustration is signed Hebee, which is a play on Blampied's initials, E.B.]

Image of colour drawing


— 1934 —


Issue: 31-Oct-1934, vol. 168, no. 2179, p 215. Type: MO1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: The future mother-in-law: 'Ope you'll treat 'er respectable, Mr Weebles. I 'ad 'oped, though, for a 'igher 'ighbrow for my Alice, I must say.

Image of monochrome drawing