Visiting the E H Shepard Archives

In September our Collections Manager Peggy visited the University of Surrey archives to see their E H Shepard archives, with a view to a potential exhibition at SOFO in 2023. The initial research follows the story of Shepard during his service with the Royal Artillery in the Great War, and explores the stories of other creatives who served in the Army.

Peggy at the University of Surrey (Photo Credit: University of Surrey Archives, Instagram)

Peggy said of the visit "It was brilliant to see some of Shepard's sketches up close, including original sketches for the Winnie the Pooh books, as well as ink drawings made for Punch magazine.  Whereas some creatives either lost or found their medium as a result of war, Shepard remained an artist before, during and after his service, and the archives I viewed are testament to his artistic progression throughout his life."

The museum is continuing to research stories of any creatives who served with the OBLI or QOOH; if you know of any soldiers who you think should be considered then please let us know by emailing collections@sofo.org.uk

One of E. H. Shepard's sketches made during his officer training (Copyright The Shepard Trust)

For more about E. H. Shepard's wartime work, watch our free online talk with James Campbell, Shepard's War. 

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The Soldiers of Oxfordshire Trust is a registered charity No. 1145408.