Country Matters

Clare Leighton (1898-1989) was born in London and studied at Brighton, Slade and Central schools of art. Travel in Europe nurtured an empathy for rural workers and their culture, reflected in much of her work. An accomplished writer, designer and artist, she is best known as a wood engraver who inspired a revival of the craft in Britain and North America. She illustrated books by Thomas Hardy, Gilbert White and Henry David Thoreau, as well as her own Four Hedges (also published by Little Toller), Country Matters, The Farmer’s Year and Southern Harvest. Her work is held in collections around the world, including the British Museum in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Art Institute of Chicago.