[John SEWELL ][Dr. Who,"Robot" - 17 pen ink drawings]

November 23, 2021

Rare Books, Documents, Photos, and Artwork

Lot 144

[John SEWELL ][Dr. Who,"Robot" - 17 pen ink drawings]

Estimate: $500 - $800

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About this Lot

Description

[Dr. WHO]. - John SEWELL [Dr. Who, Robot - 17 pen-and-ink drawings]

Offered for sale by Adam Langlands of 'Shadowrock Rare Books' - for more information please contact him via email at adamlanglands@gmail.com

[Dr. WHO]. - John SEWELL (1925-1981, artist, illustrator, film-maker, poet and author). [Dr.Who, ‘Robot’ - a collection of 17 pen-and-ink drawings recalling scenes from the four-part TV story, series 12, episodes 1-4, which first aired 28 Dec. 1974 – 18 Jan. 1975]. [UK: circa 1974-1981]. 19 pen and ink drawings on sheets of wove paper (11 1/8 x 7 3/8 in; 282 x 187mm).

A spectacular selection, celebrating Tom Baker’s debut as the fourth Doctor, and featuring K1.

Images include K1, Sarah Jane Smith, probably Professor Kettlewell and, of course, the Doctor. Probably unpublished? Although John Sewell did a lot of work for the BBC, in fact, he founded and head of the BBC TV Graphic Art Section in the 1950s.

“John Sewell was one of the most talented students to have studied graphic design at the Royal College of Art. He was the acknowledged star of his generation … he was that rarity, a real artist, and one with whom the College is proud to be associated. There is little doubt that this pungent talent had a far greater influence on his contemporaries than his innate modesty allowed him to see. It was an influence central to the generation, and to the astonishing upsurge, of graphic design in this country since the war.” (written in December 1981 by Professor Richard Guyatt [1914-2007], Rector of the Royal College or Art)

Curriculum Vitae of John Sewell A R C A
1948 - 51 - Hornsey College of Art
1951-54 - Royal College of Art; Illustration under Edward Bawden; Graphic Design under F H K Henrion First class Diploma; Major Travelling Scholarship; Graphic Design medal; Typography prize
1955- Consultant to BBC Television to improve quality of programmes
titles, drawing, typography, graphic film on the screen;
1956- founded, and was Head of, BBC TV Graphic Art Section.
1958- freelance practice in Graphic Design and Illustration for numerous clients, Shell, Sunday Times, Faber, Penguin, Books, New Society, Bodley Head, Chatto & Windus, Heinemann, Calder, Boyars, Weidenfeld, Roche, etc, etc
1958- Consultant Designer to Better Books, creating its new look, House Style, Shop design, publicity, etc, Consultant to City Books; ditto,
1960- Consultant to Bumpus; ditto.
1961- Retained by Penguin Books to give book covers a new Look; designed and illustrated many series, Penguin Crime, Law, Modern Writing, etc.
1961- Tutor in Graphic Design at the Royal College of Art.
1967 - 71 - Senior Lecturer in Television Production at Ravensbourne College of Art. tv production, scripts, photography, etc.
1977- wrote, illustrated, published children's book, Professor Invento and His Best Invention (Heinemann) .
1981- continuing with freelance graphic design and illustration; continuing to paint and write; continuing to work for television.

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