Osbert Lancaster exhibition
(Image credit: Osbert Lancaster)

Truly pithy chroniclers of the modern condition are few and far between. Osbert Lancaster was one such man. Waspish, moustachioed and superficially a paragon of the British architectural establishment, Lancaster was an

illustrator with a sharp eye and even keener wit.

Skewering the architectural profession and its pretensions.

(Image credit: Osbert Lancaster)

Click here to see more of Osbert Lancaster's work

Cartoons & Coronets, an exhibition at The Wallace Collection in London as well as an illustrated biography of Lancaster's work, demonstrates his aptitude for snappy social pigeonholing, able to name a sub-section of architectural style or new political affiliation with accuracy (it was Lancaster who coined the memorable term 'Stockbroker Tudor' to describe the ersatz medieval mansions that studded the Home Counties, pride and joy of the newly moneyed professional classes). As well as skewering the architectural profession and its pretensions, Lancaster evolved into a famed political cartoonist, a household name in the post-war years.

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Hereford House
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Harriet Lloyd-Smith was the Arts Editor of Wallpaper*, responsible for the art pages across digital and print, including profiles, exhibition reviews, and contemporary art collaborations. She started at Wallpaper* in 2017 and has written for leading contemporary art publications, auction houses and arts charities, and lectured on review writing and art journalism. When she’s not writing about art, she’s making her own.