Anthony Gilbert was born in 1916 in Leamington Spa.

He is one of the last great designers and illustrators of the golden age of British advertising.

Anthony trained at Goldsmith’s College in London, and in 1943, joined the London office of the now legendary firm of J. Walter Thompson, where he would work for the next twenty-five years. He contributed to some of the most high profile advertising campaigns of the post-war era, which included his designs for Rowntree’s, Horlick’s and Rose’s Lime Juice, the most enduring of which was his rococo mantel clock for After Eight mints, which is now, still used by Nestle.

Throughout his years with J. Walter Thompson, Gilbert also painted his own work and took on several independent commissions. In 1948, he designed a poster for London Transport, to promote the capital’s museums. and throughout the late 1940s into the 1950s, his lively, almost naive designs graced the covers and pages of several major magazines, including The Strand; Lilliput; Vogue; House and Garden; and Radio Times. He even successfully turned his talents to stained glass with a window design for St. Philip’s Church in Hove, executed by Cox & Barnard.

His wife Ann was not only Gilbert’s lifelong model and muse (after they met, he rarely drew anyone else), but also his helpmeet. Thanks to the support and devotion of his wife Ann he was able to produce such a prolific and unique body of work.

curtesy www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/9184707/Anthony-Gilbert-A-man-with-the-timeless-touch.html