Lucien Pissarro

Lucien Pissarro was not only an excellent painter but also a talented illustrator, engraver and printmaker. In 1894, at their country house in Epping, Essex, he and his future wife, Esther Bensusan, founded the Eragny Press, which in time became a successful and acclaimed printing venture. Pissarro’s first wonderfully illustrated work was Margaret Rust’s book The Queen of the Fishes (1894). The press then published 31 more books and also developed its own typeface, Brook, before finally closing its doors in 1914. Pissarro suffered a stroke in 1897 and was unable to paint for years. During this period, until he regained his health, he devoted much time to the Eragny Press.

From the page of Japanese Crab-Apple Blossom at Kew