The Carving Behind the Card

Recently, a box of old wood printing blocks was discovered in the CH Art School, each one intricately carved with Christ’s Hospital and Christmas-themed designs. Among them was a particularly charming scene that captured our imagination.

This design was lovingly brought to life by Head of Art and Old Blue, Paul Deller (MaA, PeB, LHA 78-85), who transformed the original carving into a digital copy, which we are delighted to feature as this year’s Development Team Christmas card. But who created the original carving?

The Mystery Solved

Thanks to the CH Museum team, we discovered that the design was used in 1954 for a Christmas card. The back of the card read ‘Designed by G.D. Halliday, Printed in the Manual Training School, Christ’s Hospital, 1954′. From this we assume that the wood block was also created by G.D. Halliday around this time.

The card contained a quote inside by Charles Dickens ‘Many merry Christmases, friendships, great accumulation of cheerful recollections, affection on earth, and Heaven at last for all of us.’

Paul Stewart (CH Governor and parent) suggested that the style looks similar to that of the artwork of Eric Ravillious (1903-1942) and there may have been an interest in Ravillious’ work around the 1950s.

So who was G.D. Halliday?

G.D. Halliday was an art teacher at Christ’s Hospital for five years. He then went onto work at the Maidenhead School of Art, to be in charge of the Pictorial and Wood-engraving department. Below is a snippet from The Blue, April 1958, by art teacher Nell todd.

There is a similar piece of work by G.D. Halliday in the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, called ‘The Island‘ from 1953.

An Old Blue Memory

After receiving this year’s card, Old Blue Bruce Heywood (PrepB, LaA 51-60) kindly sent us a Christmas card design that he cut from lino in 1954 at CH. Bruce said: ‘There must have been a rash of that sort of work for I see that in 1954 when aged 12 I produced a Christmas card which I attach, this was from a lino cut. This was obviously much easier and cheap for young learning hands to try their skills on. I cannot remember but it might just have been under the art master Halliday, as he was in post at the time.’

We hope you enjoyed this year’s card and wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.