Biography for Blair Hughes-Stanton (1902 - 1981)

Early life

Hughes-Stanton's father was Royal Academician Sir Herbert Hughes-Stanton who influenced him in studiyin art at the Byam Shaw School of Art after leaving the Royal Navy at the age of 19. There he came under the influence of Leon Underwood who influenced his art life.

In 1922 he joined the Royal Academy Schools, but Underwood remained the dominant influence on him.

Mid life

In 1925 he fell in love with Gertrude Hermes, a fellow student and another member of the Underwood inner circle.

In 1926 Hughes-Stanton was commissioned to engrave ten tail-pieces for thel limited edition of The Seven Pillars of Wisdom

Other commissions followed as he illustrated with wood engravings three tall folios for the Cresset Press – The Pilgrim's Progress (1928), The Apocrypha (1929) and D. H. Lawrence's Birds, Beasts and Flowers (1930).

The couple moved from London to Higham, near Colchester, and founded the Gemini Press. Hughes-Stanton wrote in his first prospectus, "I have founded the Gemini Press to be able, when occasion arises and unhampered by any outside prejudices, to make books in which  

During the War he initially took on camouflage but later after meeting went on to join the Royal Engineers where he was sent to the Middle East.

After a meeting with Kenneth Clark, the chairman of WAAC, he was given a commission to paint three pictures based on his experiences as a POW. After Blair-Stanton completed these, WAAC purchased two more pictures from him

The couple moved to Higham, near Colchester, and founded the Gemini Press. Epithalamion by Ida Graves, with 23 full-page wood engravings by Hughes-Stanton. The book is a celebration of their physical and spiritual wedding, even though they were unable to marry. 

Later Life

In later life he took up teaching more and taught Colchester School of Art, Saint Martin's School of Art and the Central School of Art and Design. In his 70s he was teaching at Winchester School of Art.

He books he illustrated around this time were The Confessions of an English Opium Eater by Thomas de Quincey (Folio Society, 1948 and 1963)