Lewis Baumer

Lewis Baumer was born in St. John's Wood on 8th August 1870. He attended South Kensington School and the Royal Academy School. His early work concentrated on portraits in water-colour, pastel and oil. He began contributing illustrations to Pall Mall Magazine in 1893. Four years later he had his first drawing in Punch Magazine.

During the First World War Baumer began contributing to Punch Magazine, The London Magazine, The Bystander, The Strand Magazine, The Tatler, The Idler, The Illustrated Bits, Printer's Pie and The Royal Magazine.

Baumer also illustrated several books including The Perfect Gentleman (1912), Vanity Fair (1913), The Complete Sportsman (1914), The Shallow End (1924), Silver and Gold (1925) and Bright Young Things (1928). He wrote that "I never work on card; I like the feel of paper; I like to be able to hold it to the light and see my drawing reversed (a wonderful way to discover faults in drawing)."

His biographer, Mark Bryant, has pointed out: "He (Baumer) worked in oils, watercolours, pen and ink, was an accomplished etcher, and in later life concentrated on painting and drawing portraits, especially of children."

Lewis Baumer died on 25th October, 1963.