British/American, (1899-1989)
About the Artist
Clare Leighton (1899-1989), British/American. Leighton was an illustrator, engraver, and author of books on rural life. She is best known for her illustrations of agrarian life in England, Europe and the American South.
Born in England, Leighton studied and did her early work in Europe where she was a leader in the revival of wood engraving in Britain.
In 1939, Leighton immigrated to the United States where she lived in Baltimore, Maryland and Durham, North Carolina, lastly moving to Woodbury, Connecticut. Leighton taught at Duke University while in Durham during the 1940’s. She became a United States citizen in 1945 and earned an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from Colby College in Waterville, Maine.
During her career she illustrated over 65 books, including books by Thomas Hardy and Henry David Thoreau. Leighton also wrote and illustrated her own books such as The Farmers Year (1933), Four Hedges (1935), Country Matters (1937) and Southern Harvest (1942). [DES 8/08]