H N Eccleston | |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 January 1923 |
| Died | 30 April 2010 (aged 87) |
| Education | Bilston School of Art |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupations |
|
| Organization | Bank of England |
| Known for | Designing banknotes |
Harry Norman Eccleston, OBE (21 January 1923 – 30 April 2010) was an artist from Coseley, Staffordshire (now West Midlands), England.[1] He was the first full-time artist and designer of banknotes at the Bank of England.[2]
He trained at Bilston School of Art, and in 1939, Birmingham College of Art, then later, after Royal Navy service in World War II,[2] at the Royal College of Art.[1] Although he lived in London, Eccleston interest in his native Black Country continued throughout his life as produced paintings and etchings of the industrial landscape.[3] Eccleston made a number of drawings and studies of the people of the Black Country and the steelworks that he had been exposed to in his childhood. As a perfectionist his drawing are precise and mathematical, making him "one of the finest engravers of his day."[4]
He joined the Bank of England in 1958 as their first in-house artist-designer, and was the designer of the "D" series of British banknotes — the first pictorial notes. They all featured Queen Elizabeth II, as well as Isaac Newton (£1), the Duke of Wellington (£5), Florence Nightingale (£10), William Shakespeare (£20) and Christopher Wren (£50). The notes were issued in 1970 and in use until 1981.[2] He retired from the Bank of England in 1983.[5]
He was made Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1979.[2][5] In 2003 he was given an honorary doctorate of arts, by the University of Wolverhampton, for his services to banknote design and printmaking.[2] He was elected as a member of the Royal West of England Academy and as an Honorary Member of the RBSA.
Examples of Harry Eccleston's work are held in a number of public collections, including the Black Country Living Museum[6] and Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.[7]
