Leonard Squirrell RWS RE (1893-1979), the 'Grand Old Man of East Anglian Painting', was known and loved by many people well outside the boundaries of East Anglia and admired by many more as an outstanding topographical artist. Ranked by many collectors and connoisseurs with John Sell Cotman, Thomas Girtin, Philip Wilson Steer (who taught him) and other famous East Anglian artists, his works are not only eminently collectable but, as pointed out by Michael Weaver in his foreword, 'a remarkable record of the twentieth century world, rural and urban landscapes that have disappeared or are rapidly vanishing'. While the author's earlier titles on the artist were appropriate at the time of their publication in the 1980s and '90s, it was felt that now was the right time to publish a larger format volume with more color images so that Squirrell's paintings could speak for themselves. It is hoped that this volume will remind previous Squirrell admirers of his work as well as show a new generation of art lovers what Leonard Squirrell was and what he did.
Despite an almost life-long enthusiasm for art and artists, Josephine Walpole initially bowed to parental pressure and qualified as an accountant. Some years on, she was able to change direction and for three years trained privately under the late Start Somerville, from whom she learnt not only to paint, but also much of the philosophy of art and artists. She subsequently ran her own gallery for over twenty years which further qualified her to write about them. Her first full- length work was Anna, a biography of Anna Zinkeisen, published in 1979. Eleven futher books by her include Leonard Squirrell R.W.S., R.E.: A Biographical Scrapbook, Vernon Ward: An Edwardian Childhood, Art and Artists of the Norwich School, Kenneth Webb: A Life in Colour and A History and Dictionary of British Flower Painters 1650-1950.