Walter Crane

Walter Crane (1845–1915) was an English artist and designer, one of the most influential illustrators of children's books and a leading figure of the Arts and Crafts movement. Apprenticed to a wood engraver, he produced for the printer Edmund Evans a long series of color toy books, that set a new standard for picture books. He designed wallpapers, textiles, tiles and stained glass and as a committed socialist drew cartoons for William Morris's causes. He was principal of the Royal College of Art and director of design at Manchester, where his lectures became The Bases of Design (1898) and Line and Form (1900).