Born in Jersey in the Channel Islands, Edmund Blampied’s artistic career took off exponentially when he was discovered drawing caricatures of a local election at the age of sixteen. His first language was Jerriais, and he spoke hardly any English when he attended the Lambeth School of Art in London. His first published illustrations appeared in The Daily Chronicle in January 1905.
Blampied is known primarily for his etchings and dry-point engraving in the early part of his career; in the twenties the printing business was booming and he often received commissions for illustrations. He later worked oils, lithography and even bronze. Many (primarily American) investors were interested in Blampied’s paintings produced in the late 1920s and in the following years he focused on exhibiting works on paper and paintings in London and in Glasgow. In 1926 Blampied sold all of his possessions and travelled through southern France and North Africa for five months. His drawings from that time would inspire all of his work in the following years.
In 1938 Blampied was elected to join the Royal Society of British Artists. This same year he was commissioned to prepare illustrations for a beautiful edition of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan – published in late 1939 as The Blampied Edition of Peter and Wendy.
In the 1950s America held various exhibitions of his work. As one of the most eminent artists to come from the Channel Islands, much of his works are kept in museums in his native Jersey, but also grace the collections of the British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, Museum of Fine Arts Boston and the Cleveland Museum of Art.
