I picked up these illustrations of Cardiff by Joseph Pike a few years ago. I’m currently practising my drawing and these sketches are very inspiring.
I love Joseph’s style and they show a fascinating glimpse of Cardiff in the 1920s.
Joseph Pike (1883 – 1956)
Joseph Pike was born in Bristol in 1883 and educated at Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire. He studied art before joining John Hardman & Co., manufacturers of stained glass and church fittings. Having trained in an architect’s office, he was particularly skilled in rendering all types of buildings and architectural details.
He was asked by the Benedictine historian Bede Camm to provide dozens of illustrations for his book, Forgotten Shrines, that was published in 1910.
“After the outbreak of the First World War, Pike left Hardman’s and joined the 7th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, where he saw active service as a Lieutenant. He was badly injured in 1916 and invalided back to England where he spent some months convalescing at a sanatorium in Dartford.”
James Downs
After the war Joseph worked as a freelance artist. He got married in 1924 and had three children, a son and two daughters. Joseph died in July 1956.
Information about Joseph’s life is taken from two articles by James Downs. James is an archivist, historian, and author of “Joseph Pike: The Happy Catholic Artist”.
Early Postcards
Joseph Pike was invited by Bede Camm to visit the monks at Caldey Island in 1913. Joseph produced a series of views of the island that were published as a set of postcards.
After the war, Joseph set out to become a processional artist. He was commissioned by A & C Black to produce a volume of their “Sketchbook” series. “Chester: a Sketch Book” was published in 1920 and he went on to produce another four in the series.
Black produced postcards from the illustrations that were sold separately and his work would be shared by postcards in the years to come.
After his success with the Sketchbook series, Joseph was in demand and worked extensively for hotels. These businesses also used his illustrations on postcards for promotion.
William Lewis (Printers) Ltd
I purchased a series of Joseph’s postcards printed by William Lewis of Cardiff. Perhaps this set was primarily advertising for the printers.
I have a series of postcards featuring Castell Coch that were printed by William Lewis. Their address is 43, Penarth Road, Cardiff.
Amgueddfa Cymru have this photo of their premises. I can’t tell if this is Penarth Road as the area has been developed significantly.
Scenes of Cardiff
James Downs notes that Joseph moved to London after the war. He lived in Barnes after getting married in 1924, where he stayed until his death. Much of his work focussed on London but he travelled around Britain.
All the dated cards I have are from 1927 or 1931.
The National Museum of Wales – 1927
Cardiff University – 1927
The Welsh National War Memorial – 1931
Part 2
These are just a few of Joseph Pike’s postcards in my collection. In the next article, I’ll look at Joseph’s career in more detail.
Sources
- Postcards from my own collection
- Joseph Pike biography by James Downs
- Joseph Pike by James Downs – Picture Postcard Monthly (January 2020)
- Photo of William Lewis Printers – Amgueddfa Cymru
