author
John Lockwood Kipling
1837–1911
An artist, teacher, and museum curator who spent much of his working life in India, he helped shape how Indian crafts and design were studied, taught, and displayed in the late 19th century. He is often remembered as Rudyard Kipling’s father, but his own career was wide-ranging and influential.
1 Audiobook
Beast and Man in India A Popular Sketch of Indian Animals in their Relations with the People
by John Lockwood Kipling
About the author
Born in Yorkshire in 1837, John Lockwood Kipling trained as an artist and went on to build a career that crossed illustration, design, teaching, and museum work. He spent most of his professional life in British India, where he became deeply involved in art education and in documenting local craftsmanship.
He worked in Bombay and later in Lahore, where he served as principal of the Mayo School of Art and as curator of the Lahore Museum. His work connected British art-school training with close attention to Indian materials, decorative traditions, and skilled makers, and he also published and illustrated works of his own.
Although many readers first encounter him as the father of Rudyard Kipling, John Lockwood Kipling stands on his own as an important figure in the history of art and design. He died in 1911, leaving behind a legacy tied to museums, architectural decoration, illustration, and the serious study of South Asian crafts.