Ernest Prater
Encyclopedia
Ernest Prater was a noted English artist and book illustrator, notable also for his work as a war correspondent
and reportage artist during the Anglo-Boer War.
in London
, of Cornish descent. He began his working life as a publisher's clerk and took up drawing. He served for a period with the 3rd Middlesex
Artillery
. he became a Boer War correspondent for The Sphere
, sending back illustrations from the battlefield. He also worked for the Black & White Budget
and The Graphic
newspapers. As well as being an illustrator, he was an adept photographer. He contributed illustrations to the Strand Magazine
, Pall Mall Gazette
and Boy's Own Paper
and for books published by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, the Religious Tract Society
, Carey Press
, Sheldon Press and others.
Prater specialised in illustrating boys' adventure stories. Among the well-known authors whose works he illustrated were G.A. Henty, R.M. Ballantyne
, W.H.G. Kingston
, Percy F. Westerman
, Frank T. Bullen
, Tom Bevan, Herbert Hayens and Bessie Marchant
.
He was noted for his painting The Last Pass: A Thrilling Moment in a Rugby Match.
War correspondent
A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories firsthand from a war zone. In the 19th century they were also called Special Correspondents.-Methods:...
and reportage artist during the Anglo-Boer War.
Life and works
Prater was born in IslingtonIslington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, of Cornish descent. He began his working life as a publisher's clerk and took up drawing. He served for a period with the 3rd Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
Artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
. he became a Boer War correspondent for The Sphere
The Sphere (newspaper)
The Sphere was a British newspaper, published weekly from 27 January 1900 until the closure of the paper on 27 June 1964; the first issue came out at the height of the Boer War and was no doubt a product of that conflict and the public appetite for images...
, sending back illustrations from the battlefield. He also worked for the Black & White Budget
Black & White Budget
Black & White Budget was a Victorian illustrated weekly printed and published by W.J.P. Monckton in London. The first issue appeared on 14 October 1899 under the name Black & White. Thereafter it continued as Black & White Budget until 30 May 1903, after which it appeared as Black & White...
and The Graphic
The Graphic
The Graphic was a British weekly illustrated newspaper, first published on 4 December 1869 by William Luson Thomas's company Illustrated Newspapers Limited....
newspapers. As well as being an illustrator, he was an adept photographer. He contributed illustrations to the Strand Magazine
Strand Magazine
The Strand Magazine was a monthly magazine composed of fictional stories and factual articles founded by George Newnes. It was first published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950 running to 711 issues, though the first issue was on sale well before Christmas 1890.Its immediate...
, Pall Mall Gazette
Pall Mall Gazette
The Pall Mall Gazette was an evening newspaper founded in London on 7 February 1865 by George Murray Smith; its first editor was Frederick Greenwood...
and Boy's Own Paper
Boy's Own Paper
The Boy's Own Paper was a British story paper aimed at young and teenage boys, published from 1879 to 1967.-Publishing history:The idea for the publication was first raised in 1878 by the Religious Tract Society as a means to encourage younger children to read and also instil Christian morals...
and for books published by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, the Religious Tract Society
Religious Tract Society
The Religious Tract Society, founded 1799, 56 Paternoster Row and 65 St. Paul's Chuchyard, was the original name of a major British publisher of Christian literature intended initially for evangelism, and including literature aimed at children, women, and the poor.The RTS is also notable for being...
, Carey Press
Carey Press
The Carey Press was founded in the early 20th century as the commercial publishing arm of the Baptist Missionary Society and was named after the society's founder William Carey . The founding editor was W E Cule...
, Sheldon Press and others.
Prater specialised in illustrating boys' adventure stories. Among the well-known authors whose works he illustrated were G.A. Henty, R.M. Ballantyne
Robert Michael Ballantyne
R. M. Ballantyne was a Scottish juvenile fiction writer.Born Robert Michael Ballantyne in Edinburgh, he was part of a famous family of printers and publishers. At the age of 16 he went to Canada and was six years in the service of the Hudson's Bay Company...
, W.H.G. Kingston
William Henry Giles Kingston
William Henry Giles Kingston , writer of tales for boys, was born in London, but spent much of his youth in Oporto, where his father was a merchant.-Popularity:His first book, The Circassian Chief, appeared in 1844...
, Percy F. Westerman
Percy F. Westerman
Percy Francis Westerman was a prolific author of children's literature, many of his books adventures with military themes.-Biography:...
, Frank T. Bullen
Frank Thomas Bullen
Frank Thomas Bullen , British author and novelist, was born of poor parents in Paddington, London, on 5 April 1857, and was educated for a few years at a dame school and Westbourne school, Paddington. At the age of 9 he left school and took up work as an errand boy. In 1869 he went to sea and...
, Tom Bevan, Herbert Hayens and Bessie Marchant
Bessie Marchant
Bessie Marchant was a prolific English writer of adventure novels featuring young female heroines.Marchant was born in Kent, and despite never leaving England herself, she wrote over 150 novels set in locations around the world...
.
He was noted for his painting The Last Pass: A Thrilling Moment in a Rugby Match.
Selected illustrated books
- Henty, G. A. The lost heir (Toronto: Copp, Clark, 1899).
- Lampen, Charles Dudley. Mirango the man-eater: a tale of Central Africa (London, Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1899).
- Miller, J. Martin. Official history of the Russian-Japanese war (1904).
- Mathews, Basil Joseph. John Williams, the shipbuilder (London: Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press, 1915).
- Padwick, C. E. Mackay of the Great Lake (London: H. Milford, Oxford University Press, 1917).
External links
- Work by E. Prater (Bridgeman Art library)
- Books illustrated by Ernest Prater (WorldCatWorldCatWorldCat is a union catalog which itemizes the collections of 72,000 libraries in 170 countries and territories which participate in the Online Computer Library Center global cooperative...
)