Rediscovering Kenneth Romney Towndrow: V&A Blog Highlights His Modernist Book Jackets
The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) recently featured a blog entry about graphic designer Kenneth Romney Towndrow (1900-1953), recognized for his KRT monogram. The museum's collection includes eight of his book covers and a magazine cover from 1925 to 1928, such as the 1925 cover for Karel Čapek's 'Krakatit' (1922) and T. C. Paynter's 'Cannon Law' (1928). Among these, the cover for 'Burnt Fingers' (1927) by Rachel Swete Macnamara is noted as the author’s favorite. Towndrow's final design was for 'The Graphic' in 1928. He later transitioned to art history and curation, concentrating on Alfred Stevens. Born in Malvern Link, he married in 1930 and passed away in 1953, leaving an incomplete manuscript on Sir William Rothenstein.
Key facts
- Kenneth Romney Towndrow (1900-1953) was a graphic designer who signed works with the monogram KRT.
- The V&A holds eight of his book jackets and a magazine cover, created between 1925 and 1928.
- His earliest cover was for Karel Čapek's 'Krakatit' (1922), published by Geoffrey Bles in London in 1925.
- He designed covers for 'Cannon Law' (1928) by T. C. Paynter and 'Burnt Fingers' (1927) by Rachel Swete Macnamara.
- His latest print in the V&A is a 1928 cover for 'The Graphic' magazine.
- He gave up design after 26 known published designs to become an art historian, critic, and curator.
- He wrote four books about Alfred Stevens (1817-1875).
- He was born in Malvern Link, Worcestershire, and later lived in Southport, London, Cumbria, and Pulborough, Sussex.
- He wrote for Apollo magazine and The Burlington Magazine.
- He began a book on Sir William Rothenstein in 1949, unfinished at his death in 1953.
Entities
Artists
- Kenneth Romney Towndrow
- Karel Čapek
- Lawrence Hyde
- T. C. Paynter
- Rachel Swete Macnamara
- William Luson Thomas
- Frank Brangwyn
- Luke Fildes
- Sidney Sime
- Alfred Stevens
- Pierre Bonnard
- Edouard Vuillard
- Paul Signac
- Auguste Renoir
- Albrecht Dürer
- Sir William Rothenstein
- John Rothenstein
- V. Cameron Turnbull
Institutions
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- British Institute of Industrial Art
- Board of Trade
- Geoffrey Bles
- J.M. Dent
- Heinemann
- Hutchinson
- Tate Gallery
- National Gallery
- Ruskin Museum at Coniston
- Apollo magazine
- The Burlington Magazine
- The Graphic
- The Oxford Companion to Edwardian Fiction
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Knightsbridge
- Malvern Link
- Worcestershire
- Southport
- Paddington
- Joubert Mansions
- Chelsea
- Cumbria
- Coniston
- Pulborough
- Sussex
- Threales Lane