author
Keith Henderson
1883–1982
A Scottish painter and illustrator with a remarkably wide career, he brought the same sharp eye to book art, travel writing, posters, and scenes of war. His work moves easily between beauty and observation, from birds and landscapes to the machinery and damage of the two world wars.
1 Audiobook
Letters to Helen: Impressions of an Artist on the Western Front
by Keith Henderson
About the author
Born in Scotland in 1883, Keith Henderson trained at the Slade School of Fine Art and went on to build a long career as both a painter and an illustrator. He became especially known for his book illustrations, working in oils, watercolours, and black-and-white design with equal confidence.
His life and work were shaped by travel and military service. He served in the First World War and later worked as an official war artist in the Second World War with the Royal Air Force, experiences that fed into some of his most memorable images. Alongside that, he also produced poster designs for London Transport and the Empire Marketing Board.
Henderson was not only an illustrator for other writers but also an author of his own books, including travel- and nature-focused works. That mix of artist, observer, and storyteller gives his work a distinctive character: elegant, curious, and deeply attentive to the world around him.