John Archibald Austen
Illustration — Radio Times – front cover of 1934 Easter edition John Archibald Austen (5 January 1886 in Dover, (Kent) – 27 October 1948 in Hythe, Kent) was a British book illustrator.
Also recorded as John Austen · John A. Austen
John Archibald Austen

John Austen · The infernal marriage · CC0
- Born
- 1886. · Dover.
- Died
- 1948. · Hythe.
- Nationality
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
- Occupation
- illustrator, printmaker, artist and painter.
- Fields
- visual arts.
- Languages
- English.
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Illustration — Radio Times – front cover of 1934 Easter edition John Archibald Austen (5 January 1886 in Dover, (Kent) – 27 October 1948 in Hythe, Kent) was a British book illustrator.
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Authority files
wikidata · Q6219760
In this article
Profile
Profile
Austen moved to London in 1906, where he studied art. His early works, including an illustrated Hamlet were Beardsleyesque in style. After 1925 he was influenced by Art Deco. Books Austen illustrated in this manner include Daphnis and Chloe and a printed version of As You Like it. His work for Radio Times includes the cover of the Easter 1934 edition. Austen used several techniques in his illustrations, including wood engraving and scraperboard, and changed styles to suit the text he was illustrating. He was also involved in advertising, producing adverts, several posters & numerous dust jacket designs. He was a friend of Alan Odle and Harry Clarke and exhibited with them at the St George's Gallery in 1925.
Works concerning him
Works concerning him
The novelist Dorothy Richardson, wrote about him in John Austen and the Inseparables (London: William Jackson, 1930). Issue 27 of The Imaginative Book Illustration Society's Studies in Illustration contains a biography and full bibliography by Martin Steenson. • Illustration — John Austen illustration for 'The infernal marriage' by Benjamin Disraeli (1929) • Illustration — John Austen illustration The Wine of Circe from 'The golden hind vol. 1 no. 2 (1923)
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1886
John Archibald Austen born at Dover.
1948
John Archibald Austen died at Hythe.
Places
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Dover.
Birth place
Hythe.
Death place
References
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Institutional database
Wikidata, structured authority record Q6219760: John Archibald AustenWikimedia Foundation
Institutional witness
Further particulars
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John Archibald Austen is recorded as illustrator, printmaker, artist and painter. East Kent regional planning scheme: final report prepared for the Joint Town Planning Committee of local authorities / by Patrick Abercrombie..
Work by John Archibald Austen is
Minneapolis Institute of Art and Bryn Mawr College Special Collections
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 16 August 2026.
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