'Tall Oaks from Little Acorns Grow', 1920s-1950s

Tall Oaks from Little Acorns Grow', 1920s-1950s. Picture card from a series of popular English sayings and proverbs in 'Peter Pan' magazine, produced in aid of the Hospital for Sick Children. Silhouette by Harry Lawrence Oakley who made tens of thousands of silhouettes between the 1920s and 1950s. Oakley produced portraits, book and newspaper illustrations, and stationery. He perfected the technique of speedily cutting folded paper with scissors, with no prior drawing, and found a good market for portraits. During his time as a soldier in the First World War he designed posters for the army. After the war he continued to earn his living from silhouettes and made portraits of many famous people including royalty. ©SSPL/H L Oakley