James Ravilious
Illustration — James Ravilious, self portrait James Ravilious (22 August 1939 – 29 September 1999), was a British photographer, who specialised in recording the rural life of north Devon.
Also recorded as James Souryer
James Ravilious
- Born
- 1939 · Eastbourne.
- Died
- 1999
- Nationality
- United Kingdom
- Occupation
- photographer
- Education
- Bedford School · Saint Martin's School of Art
- Languages
- English
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Illustration — James Ravilious, self portrait James Ravilious (22 August 1939 – 29 September 1999), was a British photographer, who specialised in recording the rural life of north Devon.
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James Ravilious (1939–1999) was a British photographer. The photographer was born in Eastbourne. James Ravilious studied at Bedford School and Saint Martin's School of Art. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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In this article
Early life
Early life
James Ravilious was born in Eastbourne, the second son of the artists Eric Ravilious and Tirzah Garwood, and educated at Bedford School. Following the death of his father in the Second World War, in March 1944 Garwood moved her young children to Boydells Farm, near Wethersfield, Essex, then following her remarriage to Henry Swanzy to Adelaide Road, Hampstead before her death from cancer on 27 March 1951. He was then raised by John Swanzy, his stepfather's brother. Having studied as an accountant, Ravilious made a career change and entered St Martin's School of Art in London, under the assumed name of Souryer in 1959. He subsequently worked as a teacher at Hammersmith College for seven years.
Personal life
Personal life
In 1970 Ravilious married Caroline (known as Robin) Whistler, daughter of glass-engraver and poet Laurence Whistler. They had two children and collaborated on books together. James Ravilious died of lymphoma aged 60 on 29 September 1999.
Identity and origins
Identity and origins
The authorities additionally record the heading James Souryer. His recorded language was English. He was the child of Eric Ravilious and Tirzah Garwood. He married Caroline Whistler.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1939
James Ravilious born at Eastbourne.
1999
James Ravilious died.
Publications
• Ravilious, James. Heart of the Country. London: Scolar, 1980. • Ravilious, James. A Corner of England: North Devon Landscapes and People. Tiverton: Devon, 1996. • Hamilton, Peter. An English Eye: The Photographs of James Ravilious. Tiverton: Devon, 1998.. • Ravilious, James. Down the Deep Lanes. Devon, 2001. • Ravilious, James. The Recent Past. with an Introduction by Robin Ravilious, London: Wilmington Square, 2017. • Ravilious, Robin. James Ravilious: a Life. London: Wilmington Square, 2017.
Photography
Inspired by an exhibition of the work of French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson, Ravilious took up photography shortly after moving with his wife to Devon in the 1970s. He was asked to contribute work to the Beaford Archive, a means of documenting images to show the lifestyle associated with a small area of North Devon. What began as a short-term project turned into a 17-year quest. Ravilious made some 80,000 black and white images for Beaford Arts, and preserved some 5,000 old photographs of the area. The archive is an internationally important collection. An exhibition of his work The English Countryside was shown at Royal Photographic Society's Octagon exhibition space in 1981.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “James Ravilious”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q6141874: James Ravilious
General reference · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Beacham, James P. James Ravilious. The Guardian. 8 October 1999.
- 2.Russell, James. Garwood [married names Ravilious, Swanzy], Eileen Lucy [known as Tirzah] (1908–1951), wood engraver and artist. 2016. 10.1093/ref:odnb/59241.
- 3.Welles, Merida. National Photographic Center opens in Britain. The New York Times. 1981-06-21. 0362-4331.
- 4.Joint, Laura. James Ravilious - A World in Photographs. BBC Devon. BBC.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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