Harry Norman Eccleston

(1923-2010)
Harry Norman Eccleston was born in Staffordshire and, although he lived in London, often depicted the people of the Black Country and the steelworks that fascinated him as a boy. His lifelong fascination with the industrial landscape informed much of his work, which is noted for its precision and meticulous detail. This accuracy served him well when, in 1953, he became the first in-house artist and designer at the Bank of England. Eccleston designed many of the “D” series banknotes — the first pictorial banknotes — featuring Queen Elizabeth II, Isaac Newton, Florence Nightingale, the Duke of Wellington, Christopher Wren, and William Shakespeare. After retiring from the Bank in 1983, he devoted himself entirely to his art, producing engravings and prints that remain highly collectible.