Antony Maitland, a beloved children’s book illustrator and artist, has passed away at the age of 90.
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Maitland died in August at the age of 90, according to The East Anglian Daily Times, which did not specify a cause of death.
Antony Maitland created vibrant drawings for many young readers’ books from the 1960s to the 1980s, collaborating with authors like Leon Garfield and Ruth Ainsworth. He spent his later years in Suffolk, his adopted home, at Ivy Cottage in Thorndon, near Eye.
Antony Maitland cover art. Quality. pic.twitter.com/9KgJ2R5K8y
— Simon Spanton (@SimonGuy64) June 1, 2019
Born in Andover, Hampshire, on June 17, 1935, Maitland was one of six brothers. His Air Vice Marshal father’s postings meant the family moved frequently, living in Singapore (1937-1939) and war-torn Germany (1947). Maitland later graduated from the West of England College of Art in 1957.
Antony Maitland Wins a Top Honor Early in His Career as a Children’s Book Illustrator
He started with book jackets, then moved on to illustrating books. In 1961, he entered the children’s book world with his illustrations for Philippa Pearce’s Mrs. Cockle’s Cat, as described by his agent, Laura Cecil.
“Tony’s enchanting illustrations earned him the Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration – the children’s book equivalent in status, though not financially – of the Turner prize,” she told The East Anglian Daily Times.
“The 1960s and 1970s are considered to be a golden age of children’s books, particularly for illustrators, as novels were still fully illustrated with line drawings, and new techniques improved the printing of color for picture books and book jackets,” Cecil continued.
“Tony was in the vanguard of these new opportunities. He worked with writers such as Penelope Lively, Noel Streatfield, Eleanor Farjeon, and Richard Hughes,” she added.
In 1972, Maitland was also nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration for his drawings in Garfield’s book The Ghost Downstairs.
His artistic talent extended to costume and set design, architecture, murals, and portrait painting for the Shah of Iran.
He and his partner, Roderick Taylor, a business consultant and author on oriental carpets, bought their cottage in Suffolk in 1973. They restored it together, with Antony decorating the walls. The house was later featured in several national interior magazines, including Country Life and Country Living.
Antony and Roderick, who passed away in 2018, married in a civil ceremony in 2005.
According to The East Anglian Daily Times, Maitland’s funeral service took place on August 29 at Waveney Crematorium in Ellough and concluded with Liza Minnelli’s “Life is a Cabaret.” A gathering followed at The Four Horseshoes in Thornham Magna.
He is survived by his last remaining brother, Charles.