Seventy five drawings and sketchbooks by James Boswell, the graphic artist, illustrator and painter

Availaible online are all of the sketchbook created by James Boswell. These sketchbooks illustrate many of Boswell's interests and activities. The earliest books contain designs for some of his lithographs and there is a series of war sketchbooks covering the period Boswell was in Scotland (1941-1942) and Iraq and Malta (1942-1944) serving with the Royal Army Medical Corps. His political affiliation shows clearly in many of the wartime drawings where the officers are frequently drawn with bulls' heads and the common soldiers are more sympathetically portrayed. The Sussex coast features prominently in the drawings as do scenes of London life, especially street markets. His interest in Punch and Judy and the theatre is also apparent and many of the post-war sketchbooks form a record of his travels in Bucharest (1953), Paris (1953), Chartres (1956), Dieppe (1958) and Marseille (1959).

Details of the remainder of the collection can be found on the Archive catalogue.

Collection Owner

James Boswell 1906–1971

Collection

Tate Archive

Acquisition

Presented by Ruth Boswell, the artist's widow in 1982

Reference

TGA 8224