Fred Whisstock
Encyclopedia
Frederick William Whisstock (known as Fred Whisstock or Quip 1878 - 1943) was an English
artist, cartoonist, and well known illustrator for the W. Britain Toy Company
.
Fred Whisstock was born in 1878 in Bow, East London. He moved to Southend in 1887, and was encouraged in his painting by George Reed, the headmaster of London Road Schools. He won several scholarships to attend the Royal College of Arts (South Kensington) and also won the Queens's prize for Model Drawing. After two years as a teacher, he joined Waterlow and Sons
, the London printers and for the following three years he designed postage stamps for Ecuador
, Nicaragua
, Costa Rica
and New Zealand
.
Around 1903 he became a freelance artist and many of the watercolours in circulation, date from around this time (right). He worked with the poster artist Charles Dawson and later shared a studio in Jessle Chambers with the famous engraver J.A.C. Harrison. During this period he drew three caricatures (signed under the pseudonym Quip) that were published in Vanity fair. He continued to design book plates and, furthermore, designed a set of stamps for Liberia
for Perkins Bacon
. His cartoons (always signed Quip) were regularly published in newspapers and periodicals.
During the 1914-18 war, Whisstock served in the Home Guard as a Lance-corporal.
In the early 20th Century and up until 1930, Whisstock was employed by Britain's to design the box labels in a single style for their lead toy soldiers series. Fred Britain, the younger brother of William Britain, lived in Southend from 1899–1928, and it is suggested that the connection to the Britains firm was established through him. An example of his work is shown above. In good condition Britains Toy Soldiers in an original Whisstock Box have become highly collectable items (usually the signature is in the bottom left corner).
Fred Whisstock was not married, and he died in Southend on the 16th September 1943 aged 65.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
artist, cartoonist, and well known illustrator for the W. Britain Toy Company
W. Britain
The W. Britain brand name of toy and collectable soldiers is derived from a company founded by William Britain Jr., a British toy manufacturer, who in 1893 invented the process of hollow casting in lead, and revolutionized the production of toy soldiers. The company quickly became the industry...
.
Fred Whisstock was born in 1878 in Bow, East London. He moved to Southend in 1887, and was encouraged in his painting by George Reed, the headmaster of London Road Schools. He won several scholarships to attend the Royal College of Arts (South Kensington) and also won the Queens's prize for Model Drawing. After two years as a teacher, he joined Waterlow and Sons
Waterlow and Sons
The Waterlow and Sons Limited was a major worldwide engraver of currency, postage stamps, stocks and bond certificates established in 1897, in England.-Portuguese Bank Note Crisis:...
, the London printers and for the following three years he designed postage stamps for Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Around 1903 he became a freelance artist and many of the watercolours in circulation, date from around this time (right). He worked with the poster artist Charles Dawson and later shared a studio in Jessle Chambers with the famous engraver J.A.C. Harrison. During this period he drew three caricatures (signed under the pseudonym Quip) that were published in Vanity fair. He continued to design book plates and, furthermore, designed a set of stamps for Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
for Perkins Bacon
Perkins Bacon
Messrs. Perkins, Bacon & Co was a printer of books, bank notes and postage stamps, most notable for printing the Penny Black, the world's first adhesive postage stamps, in 1840.- Origins :...
. His cartoons (always signed Quip) were regularly published in newspapers and periodicals.
During the 1914-18 war, Whisstock served in the Home Guard as a Lance-corporal.
In the early 20th Century and up until 1930, Whisstock was employed by Britain's to design the box labels in a single style for their lead toy soldiers series. Fred Britain, the younger brother of William Britain, lived in Southend from 1899–1928, and it is suggested that the connection to the Britains firm was established through him. An example of his work is shown above. In good condition Britains Toy Soldiers in an original Whisstock Box have become highly collectable items (usually the signature is in the bottom left corner).
Fred Whisstock was not married, and he died in Southend on the 16th September 1943 aged 65.