Title: London Town

Description

This late Victorian book of children’s poetry presents a bright and cheery view of London at the height of its imperial glory. Felix Leigh, who wrote the verses, was a prolific writer whose drawings and poems were featured for many years in the magazine Boy’s Own Paper. The illustrations are by Thomas Crane and Ellen E. Houghton. Crane designed the ornamental pages and Houghton did the figure drawings. Thomas Crane was the older brother of Walter Crane (1845-1915), who brought about revolutionary improvements in illustrated children’s books by ensuring that text and illustrations were designed together to produce a harmonious whole. Houghton was a first cousin of the Cranes, who are also known as early designers of Christmas cards.