Thomas Maybank – Fairy Illustrations
by Thomas Maybank (1869 – 1929 British)
Hector Thomas Maybank Webb (1869-1929) was born in Beckenham, Kent to the parents of William Webb, a school board visitor, and his wife Annie, a china and glass dealer. He was injured as a boy of eight in a horse riding accident, injuring his hip and suffering a resulting bone disease and causing him to be hospitalized for two years. He originally trained as an architect and worked as a surveyor for the Borough of Croydon, but moved into illustration and drawing cartoons full time around 1902. He was also a musician, playing the piano, organ and cello in his spare time. He died in 1929 in Esher, Surrey.
by Thomas Maybank
Published ‘The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Once he started illustrating full time, he became a well-known, recognized artist. His style was rooted in the Edwardian tradition — charming, humorous, and rich in character, but over time transitioned more towards the lighter and playful style of Victorian illustration of the early 20th-century British children’s art – whimsical, light and imaginative. He regularly contributed cartoons and illustrations to a number of popular publications of the time, such as Punch, the Tatler, the Strand Magazine, the Rainbow, a children’s magazine and the Daily Sketch, where he was the original artist of ‘Uncle Oojah’, written by Flo Lancaster. He also was commissioned to provide the artwork for several children’s books – the Sun‑Child by R. C. Lehmann (1904), the Wonder Book volumes of ‘The Brownies’ Birthday’ and ‘Tick, Tack and Tock’, and notably ‘The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland’ by Lewis Carroll (1907).
Many of Maybank’s illustrations were aimed at younger audiences, with a gentle humor, anthropomorphic animals,, and lively pen work – with many of his illustrations being black and white sketches. After a casual glance of his work, it is easy to see the cartoonish effect much of his work expressed, however he also did other artwork of a more classic or refined style. Below is a gallery of selected artwork with fairies and a few examples of other work from this artist.
Thomas Maybank Selected Images
