The Book!

This week saw the release of my first book. Lady Screever is the true life story of Alice G. Colman, the world’s first lady pavement artist.  Alice was a pioneer at a time when women ‘knew their place’ and children were ‘seen but not heard’. A time before women even had the right to vote! She was a rare individual who saw the future for pavement art; not just to be considered a ‘beggars art’ but as a serious art form within its own right. Where possible I’ve used Alice’s actual words to tell her own fascinating story.

Lady Screever book cover (published April 2015)

“My hobby had been drawing; the idea came to me that I might be able to earn enough to keep us all by being a woman pavement artist.”

A story meticulously pieced together and researched over many years, I’ve also included contributions from Alice’s living relatives.

Lady Screever: Chapter One opening page

The book is published in two different formats; the Kindle version (standard eBook) is suitable for reading on all Kindle devices. The Apple iBook version (enhanced eBook) is suitable for reading on Apple iPad & Mac computer. It consists of over 21,000 words (112 pages) and numerous photos and documents, many of which have never been published before. The book covers Alice’s entire career as a pavement artist (over 41 years). The enhanced version contains rare video footage, audio sound clips, family documents, additional photos and a complete glossary of terms.

The standard Kindle version is available now from Amazon stores worldwide and retails at £6.68. The enhanced Apple version is available on iTunes from Tuesday 5^th May and retails at £8.49. A re-edited print version will be available later this year. All profits from the sale of these eBooks will go towards the production of the print version.

FREE ENHANCED iBOOK!

I’m looking for people to read and review my book on-line at both Amazon and iTunes. In return I will send you a promo code for you to download the enhanced Apple iBook version completely FREE. If you would like a free copy (iPad only version) then please email me at urbancanvas@live.co.uk Please note, this is a limited 24 hour offer; end midday, Wednesday 29th April.

E-book published by Fig-Mulberry Publishing Ltd.

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The game

Before computers and the internet, even before television and mobile phones, there was a time of simple pleasures when children would entertain themselves. A more creative time of playing out and making it up as you went along.

And on rainy days with your friends, what better way of spending time than taking out your big box of compendium games & puzzles and playing Tiddly Winks, Blow Football, Shuv Ha’penny and Snakes & Ladders. We didn’t want for much and as adults we often look back on those days with fond memories. The truth is, as the old saying goes “what we didn’t have, we didn’t miss!”

Pavement Artist Game by Marchent 1949.

So imagine the kerfuffle in the 1940’s when Britain’s largest manufacturer of games and compendiums MARCHENT GAMES, released their brand new children’s plaything PAVEMENT ARTIST, the game.

Pavement Artist-Box close-up.

Although it was classed as a game it was more of a chalking activity centre. As the instructions state: This game contains chalks, stencils and black-board, bordered with the alphabet and numerals. The stencils and coloured chalks are used for drawing designs on the blackboard. The same stencils can be used for making pretty drawings in your drawing book. Always clean the board after using.

Pavement Artist-Game Instructions.

The stencils were made of pre-cut paper with spaces to be pushed-out prior to use. The two illustrated here, the ship and the train are also shown on the box cover as works on the pavement. I have no idea how many different stencils were included in each set, but I would estimate in the region of ten. I have so far tracked three, these two and a cow stencil, but I’m sure there are many more.

Pavement Artist-Game Stencils.

Pavement artists were a common sight on the streets of Britain; indeed it was the only country anywhere in the world to nurture such a culture of street-art, a culture that stretched back to at least the 1850’s. So the production of a Pavement Artist game for children seemed like good commercial sense, indeed the game seems to have been in production for a good ten years before its demise in 1959.

Pavement Artist Game-Whats inside the box!

If you have any memories of having one of these as a child, I’d love to hear from you!

Written & researched by Philip Battle

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The Pavement Artists of 5000 Years Ago!

People often speculate about the origins of pavement art, but in many ways it’s a pointless exercise. It’s like trying to find the origins of art itself, it doesn’t matter; mankind is a compulsive communicator and it’s likely that ‘art’ and mark-making happened in many different places at many different times, often in cultural isolation.

In this blog I’ve already debunked the idea that modern day pavement art originated in Italy and is in some way romantically connected to the renaissance. That’s a total myth!

Animal figure, possibly a horse incised drawing on the paving-stone at Megiddo.

In 1938, the London Illustrated News ran an article on the then recent expedition and finds in the ancient Palestine city (now Israel) of Megiddo, otherwise known from the Book of Revelations as Armageddon.

Human form as represented at Megiddon. 4th millennium BC

In the same year, archaeologist Gordon Loud gave an account of fresh discoveries at Megiddo undertaken by the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. During the 1937-38 season a large mound was cleared to bedrock, disclosing for the first time a complete stone pavement

Human figure with hands upraised perhaps in a dance. Incised into the paving-stones at Megiddo.

Upon many of the paving-stones were incised drawings of human and animal forms, thought at the time to be the earliest examples of graphic pavement art ever found in Palestine, while no definite dates can be made as to when the pavement was laid, the cultural sequence in excavation estimated it as being the first half of the 4^th millennium BC.

Deeply cut horned animal from Megiddo

The human figures have a certain style throughout and were drawn in various postures, and with strange proportions. Outlandishly long noses and large headdresses; a simple girdle would suffice for a costume.

Human figures: Harpist with her instrument and right, a warrior or dancer.

Animals would be drawn with abnormally long-tails, which archaeologists at the time put down to poor draughtsmanship, but may simply be a cultural stylisation.

Animal with abnormally long-tail incised into the pavement stone at Megiddo,, Palestine.

Whatever the truth, these must surly represent some of the earliest pavement art ever discovered, and certainly the earliest I’ve ever blogged about!

Of course there was a time when pavement art, wall art and cave painting were considered one and the same.

Written and researched by Philip Battle

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The original screever!

Pavement art in Britain has a different lineage from our continental neighbours; long before the drawing of chalk pictures, street artists started writing messages on the pavement such as “I am Starving” and “Please help me out” they were nicknamed the writers of begging letters or “screevers” to give them their proper title.

The word Screever or SCRIVENER is thought to date back to Elizabethan times; meaning ‘to write’ or ‘a person who could read and write’ and originates from the Anglo-French escrivein, ultimately from Vulgate Latin *scriban-, scriba, alteration of Latin scriba (as scribe).

After a long period of time, these writings became more elaborate; decorated copperplate lettering gave way to pictorial representations of the messages, and in time the art superseded the writings and pavement art was born.

Art works would be accompanied by poems & proverbs; lessons on morality and political commentary on the day’s events. They were described as “producing a topical, pictorial newspaper of current events.” And that’s exactly what they did. They appealed to both the working man and woman, who (on the whole) could not read or write, but understood the visual images; and the educated middle-classes who appreciated the moral lessons and comments. It was important for a screever to catch the eye of the ‘well to do’ and in turn attract the pennies.

But at the end of the day pavement artists were still writing begging letters, appealing to public sympathy or trying to catch the eye with a whimsical quip or moral tale.

(watched by little Albert Elliot) George Hurd at his pitch outside the National Portrait Gallery, London 1952

A popular way of doing this was to describe your own story; In 1952, war veteran George Hurd, at his pitch outside the National Portrait Gallery wrote in perfect copperplate “I’m an ex-solider, who served in 1914 and 1939, and discharged on account of epileptic fits”  alongside his screeving, George displayed his war medals attached to a piece of cardboard.

Seaman STOKER SMITH at his pitch on Earles Court Road, London 1946.

In 1946, while at his pitch on the Earles Court Road, Stoker Smith wrote; “I am a British seaman and this is all my work. I did not think I’d come to this, I was never one to shirk but now my heart has come unhinged and it’s hanging round my neck. So kind friends, don’t pass me by now I’ve become a wreck. Three times I have been shipwrecked; I did not mind those knocks and then I’ve been torpedoed and now I’m on the rocks. Thanking-you” and then he added “21 years service and no pension”  

Unknown pavement artist outside the Tower of London. Postcard published by W & C Lane Cir.1912

As well as being a great social history postcard, this unknown artist from 1912 had a story to tell…the artist has written in the bottom left hand corner “entirely drawn with my left hand” and you’d be forgiven in thinking that this was the work of a left handed artist, but on closer inspection it tells a different story….one of the screevings state; “these are entirely drawn with my left hand…..having lost the use of my right hand through being struck by lightning, not once but twice” no wonder why he attracted such a large crowd of admirers.

For every screever, there is always a story to tell.

Written & researched by Philip Battle

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The Alice Colman Story

The 7^th September saw the launch of my first book in print – Lady SCREEVER, the story of Alice Colman, the world’s first female pavement artist.

Lady SCREEVER book cover

At the end of the 19th century Alice endured inclement weather, overzealous policing, sexism, physical threats and marriage proposals to support her family by illustrating the streets of London.

As her work captured the public imagination, she became something of a celebrity – not just in London, but around the world. Her work covered the politics of the time, satire and popular culture, and influenced the burgeoning suffragette movement. Bold, distinctive and romantic, Alice was part of a ’screever’ movement that led to the street art we see today; an instinctive, accessible cultural movement that has shifted from subversive to celebrated, and become an accepted part of the established art world.

Alice Coleman Cir. 1914

I found Alice by complete accident; while researching this blog, I stumbled upon a number of old photographic postcards featuring lady pavement artists. I initially assumed the images depicted different female artists, so with very little information I decided to investigate; it took me almost four years to piece together the information, but eventually I amassed enough details about this remarkable woman to write a book about her. I even met with Alice’s living grandson who offered up family photos and details about Alice’s home life.

Lady SCREEVER launch photo

So the story of a once forgotten Victorian/Edwardian street artist can now be told. Wherever possible, I’ve tried to use Alice’s own words in the hope that her spirit and tenacity shines through.

You can purchase a copy of Lady SCREEVER from any good bookstore (Just quote ISBN: 978-0-9933796-0-4) or directly from Fig Mulberry Press, via eBay priced £12.99. With the first 150 copies signed by the author (me!)

Also available via Amazon Kindle eBook download (ISBN: 978-0-9933796-1-1), priced £6.68 or enhanced Apple iBook (ISBN: 978-0-9933796-2-8), with additional sound clips and rare movie footage, priced £8.99.

Written by Philip Battle

Visit my Artists of The Paving Stone page on Facebook!

What started out as a 12 month research project “All My Own Work” is exactly 4 years old. Happy birthday indeed!

….but all good things must come to an end; so like a temporary piece of pavement art, I’ve decided to archive the blog off-line.

Thank-you for your kind comments and support over the years.

All is not lost, and a lot of the research will be published in at least two forthcoming books on the history of pavement art!

ALL MY OWN WORK cover art

London Types cover art.

For more information on my forthcoming books and other publications view my publishing page: Fig Mulberry Press.

Best wishes and many thanks for supporting this project.

Philip Battle

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