(b Geneva, 2 Oct. 1866; d London, 7 Oct. 1931). British painter, designer, sculptor, collector, and writer on art. In 1882, while studying wood engraving at Lambeth School of Art, he met fellow student Charles Shannon (b Quarrington, Lincolnshire, 26 Apr. 1863; d Kew, Surrey [now in Greater London], 18 Mar. 1937), a painter and engraver who became his lifelong companion. Kenneth Clark writes that ‘Ricketts did most of the talking. Shannon was quiet and recessive, but his rare interpolations showed good sense and considerable learning. One could see that Ricketts turned to him as to a reasonable wife.’ Ricketts initially made his mark in book production, first as an illustrator, then as the driving force behind the Vale Press (1896–1904), one of the finest private presses of the day.

Text source: The Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford University Press)


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