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Here is a very fine monochrome watercolour entitled Soldier's Look-out. It was painted in 1899 by William Edgar Shawcross. It may have been used to illustrate a book or a newspaper article. Does anyone know anything about the artist? Thanks in advance for any help.

Strangely, not an artist listed by Ryno Greenwall in his superb "Artists and Illustrators of the Anglo-Boer War". However, I know Ryno continued to discover illustrators after publication. One of the pitfalls of writing a "definitive" work....

I would say definitely intended for publication. Are there any tell-tale scribbles on the back that might shed some light on the ID and date of the journal it was produced for? I have seen many with instructions such as "3 Col. / Immediate / 14 FEB".

In 1901, there was a William Edgar Shawcross living in Princess Road, Moss Side, Manchester. Although only 15 years old, he is described as a "Photographic Artist". I think this is very probably your man.

If the young man is indeed the artist, then he was a pretty good artist. I'll check the back as it's in a plastic envelope with a certificate of authenticity... It certainly looks like a piece of art that would have been used for an illustration. More later... cheers, John

Here we go. 1915 attestation papers, describing the same man as an artist.




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This is GREAT! Thank you so very much! You're always a great help and do wonderful research!
Cheers, John