John Minton

John Minton (1917–1957) was one of the defining British illustrators of the post-war years, a Soho bohemian and influential teacher whose students included Peter Blake and Bridget Riley. His work is now held in major public collections, including Tate and Pallant House Gallery.

His celebrated 1948 book Time Was Away was created after his journey through Corsica with the writer Alan Ross, and remains one of the finest illustrated travel books of its era. The images were printed by Purnell & Sons using the demanding letterpress technique Minton made his own — built up in careful layers of colour rather than reproduced from a single artwork.

Original prints of this quality are increasingly scarce.