GRAHAM COTON (b.1926) Kit Carson for Cowboy Comics Library and later drew four short strips for the Thriller Comics Library (an adventure of Gulliver for no.5, a Dick Turpin strip for no. 8 and two Three Musketeer strips in issues 12 and 26), it was not until he started drawing Captain Phantom , the World War II Master Spy, for Knockout in 1953, that he really came into his own. Some of these strips were later reprinted in Thriller Comics Library with the lead character renamed Spy 13 .Musketeers Ride Again (no. 26) - for the artwork is not really in tune with the swashbuckling genre. Coton will be mainly remembered as far as comic art is concerned for his car racing strips in Tiger , his superb war strips in Top Spot and, most of all, for his dynamic covers for the War Libraries . Graham Coton was born in Woolwich, London and was self-taught, although he admits to attending Goldsmith's College of Art in London, which he says was a "disaster". Biography extract courtesy of David Ashford and Norman Wright.
Cromwell's Final Triumph (Original)
Medium: Gouache on Board
Size: 21" x 13" (540mm x 340mm)
Date: 1963
Description: A dramatic scene painted by Graham Coton depicting the final victory of Cromwell's forces in the English Civil War at the Battle of Worcester. Originally published in Look And Learn 28 September 1963.
Head On Collision (Original)
Medium: Gouache on Board
Size: 13" x 9" (340mm x 220mm)
Date: 1976
Description: Marathon to 'Down Under'. The England to Australia Motor Rally. In 1968, Lucian Bianchi had victory in his grasp when he saw, coming towards him on the same narrow road, a Mini. Original artwork from Look and Learn Book 1977.
De Havilland Twin Otter (Original) (Signed)
Medium: Gouache on Board
Size: 20" x 9" (505mm x 225mm)
Date: 1978
Signature: Signed by Artist
Description: Original artwork for illustration on p18 of Look and Learn issue no 871 (23 September 1978). From an article highlighting the wide variety of aircraft used around the world. The Otter Twin is invaluable in reaching isolated communities.
Liberator Shot Down In Flames (Original)
Medium: Gouache on Board
Size: 19" x 10" (470mm x 265mm)
Date: 1978
Description: BOAC Liberator. The risks run by the airline pilots were great. On one occasion during World War II, a homecoming BOAC Liberator was accidentally shot down at night by a British fighter. Original artwork for illustration on p18 of Look and Learn issue no 868 (2 September 1978).
The Sharp End Of The Deal (Original)
Medium: Gouache on Board
Size: 14" x 19" (350mm x 480mm)
Date: 1970
Description: The Castaways: The Long Ordeal of William Mann. Original artwork from Look and Learn no. 417 (10 January 1970). A dramatic and painful end to a South Seas adventure. The true story of William Mann who found himself cast adrift on Asuncion Island. When the natives turned against them his perilous adventures were just beginning.
Trapped Beneath The Sea (Original)
Medium: Gouache on Board
Size: 14" x 11" (345mm x 280mm)
Date: 1973
Description: Survival: Trapped Beneath the Seas. In the China Seas in 1930, the 2,000 ton steamer Yuta slammed into the side of the submarine Poseidon. Six men were trapped inside as the sub sank to the bottom. 29 had escaped from the Conning Tower before the sub sank. The rest of the crew drowned except six men lead by Petty Officer Patrick Willis. Original artwork from Look and learn no. 580 (24 February 1973).
The Mayflower Sails Again (Original)
Medium: Gouache on Board
Size: 15" x 19" (390mm x 475mm)
Date: 1965
Description: On April 20 1957 an exact replica of the Mayflower, the ship that took the Pilgrim Fathers to America, set sail from Plymouth, 337 years after the original. Despit rolling heavily in a bad storm the ship proved fully sea worthy and the modern day crew reached Provincetown, Massachusetts 54 days later. The captain Alan Villiers had used replicas of the original navigation instruments.
Railway Through the Khyber (Original)
Medium: Gouache on Board
Size: 15" x 20" (375mm x 510mm)
Date: 1980
Description: Railway Through the Khyber: The Saint Was -- a Sheep. The Khyber Railway provided one of the most thrilling rides in the world; (inset) raging storms bring track-laying to a halt. Original artwork from Look and Learn no. 965 (6 September 1980).
Tales of the Track: Birkin the Bentley Boy (Original) (Signed)
Medium: Gouache on Board
Size: 20" x 12" (520mm x 305mm)
Date: 1972
Signature: Signed by Artist
Description: The image shows Tim Birkin in the Bentley bearing down upon a Bugatti. In the 1925 Grand Prix The Bentley driver used the horn to warn the Bugatti to move over, surely a unique occurrence in Grand Prix racing! With seven laps to go Zanelli made another pitstop and Birkin was up into second place.
While Étancelin, with a 2.5 minute lead, nursed his Bugatti home to take victory, Zanelli had not given up and was catching Birkin fast. At the flag the margin was down to fourteen seconds but it was enough for the British Bentley driver to make Grand Prix history. Painted for Look and Learn magazine.
Tales of the Track: Pennal -- the Pioneer Perfectionist (Original)
Medium: Gouache on Board
Size: 16" x 10" (415mm x 245mm)
Date: 1972
Description: Leslie Pennal was a pioneering mechanic of the early racing days who helped make the first Bentley engine and car. Original artwork from Look and Learn no. 566 (18 November 1972).
Crisis! The Suez Affair (Original)
Medium: Gouache on Board
Size: 19" x 11" (490mm x 290mm)
Date: 1973
Description: In order to stop the Anglo-French invasion by sea, Egypt sank all the ships in the Suez and blockaded it. The canal was strategically important; it provided the shortest ocean link between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean. The canal eased commerce for trading nations and particularly helped European colonial powers to gain and govern their colonies.
Klondike Stampede: The Tough Trail to Riches (Original)
Medium: Gouache on Board
Size: 16" x 21" (400mm x 545mm)
Date: 1980
Description: The Klondike Gold Rush, sometimes referred to as the Yukon gold rush, was a frenzy of immigration for gold prospecting along the Klondike River near Dawson City, Yukon, Canada, after gold was discovered there in the late 19th century.
From ports along the Pacific coast of North America, they were desperate to reach the goldfields and embarked for the north in vessels that were often unseaworthy. Original artwork from Look and Learn no. 943 (16 February 1980).
The Murder of Thomas Becket in 1170AD (Original)
Medium: Watercolour on Board
Size: 27" x 18" (680mm x 450mm)
Date: 1975
Description: Original art used in the magazine Look and Learn July 1975 in an article The Time and Place: The Making of a Martyr. This shows King Henry II, and Thomas Becket being killed at Canterbury Cathedral in 1170. Note: the art has a vertical crease down the centre.
General Gordon of Khartoum (Original)
Medium: Gouache on Board
Size: 27" x 18" (680mm x 450mm)
Date: 1975
Description: Original art used in the magazine Look and Learn issue 705 July 1975 as part of the series The Time and Place: The Price of Pride.
This depicts General Gordon and his death at the hands of the Mahdi's tribesmen in 1885.. Note: the art has a vertical crease down the centre.
Rothmans Aerobatic Team 1977 (Original) (Signed)
Medium: Gouache on Board
Size: 27" x 19" (680mm x 480mm)
Date: 1977
Signature: Signed by Artist
Description: Original art used in Look and Learn Magazine March 1977. The Rothman's Aerobatic Team made their first appearance in May 1970. This painting shows four beautiful Stampe SV4B biplanes in a sensational display.
Dreadnought Attack! (Original) (Signed)
Medium: Gouache on Board
Size: 18" x 8" (455mm x 195mm)
Date: 1970s
Signature: Signed by Artist
Description: Dynamic scene representing a dangerous First World War Navel engagement. Very atmospheric work by Coton. Painted to illustrate a piece on maritime history, Look and Learn 1970's.
Graham Hill's Flying Car (Original)
Medium: Gouache on Board
Size: 11" x 7" (290mm x 180mm)
Date: 1972
Description: Graham Hill finds his car actually flying for a moment during the practice runs for the 1966 German Gand Prix. From Tales of the Track: The Breaking Point Look and Learn 9th December 1972.
A feature describes the efforts of Formula One car designers to improve road holding with the greater speed of Grand Prix cars.
Battle of Hampton Roads (Original)
Medium: Watercolour on Board
Size: 17" x 13" (440mm x 330mm)
Date: 1965
Description: Amazing illustration of the most noted, and arguably most important, naval battle of the American Civil War from the standpoint of the development of navies. The Battle of Hampton Roads was fought on 8th-9th March 1862 and saw the first meeting in battle of ironclad warships.
In the foreground of this action-packed illustration is the USS Monitor, firing its main armament at the CSS Merrimack. Original artwork from Look and Learn, no. 203, 4th December 1965.
Amelia Earhart (Original)
Medium: Watercolour on Board
Size: 17" x 20" (420mm x 510mm)
Date: 1973
Description: Portrait of Amelia Earhart (1897-1937), the noted aviation pioneer, and the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
During an attempt to make a circumnavigational flight of the globe in 1937 Earhart disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean near Howland Island. Original artwork from Look and Learn no. 609, 15th September 1973.
HMS Truculent Rammed and Sunk (Original)
Medium: Watercolour on Board
Size: 15" x 12" (380mm x 300mm)
Date: 1965
Description: Powerful illustration of the sinking of the submarine HMS Truculent due to a collision with a Swedish oil tanker, the Divina, in January 1950, with the loss of 64 lives. Original artwork from Look and Learn no. 183, 17th July 1965.
General Erich von Ludendorff (Original)
Medium: Pen & Ink Wash on Board
Size: 14" x 14" (350mm x 350mm)
Date: 1974
Description: An original pen and ink illustration of General Erich von Ludendorff, General Ferdinand Foch and a typical German foot soldier during World War One. Used to illustrate "the great breakthrough" in Look and Learn Magazine in 1974.
Lord Raglan (Original)
Medium: Gouache on Board
Size: 5" x 16" (130mm x 410mm)
Description: An original full body portrait of the famous Lord Raglan before the Charge of the Light Brigade in his full military dress uniform. Superbly executed by Graham Coton. Used for an illustration in the magazine Look and Learn.
Sir Francis Drake (Original) (Signed)
Medium: Gouache on Board
Size: 5" x 13" (130mm x 330mm)
Signature: Signed by Artist
Description: An original pen and ink and gouache painting of the English hero who defeated the Spanish Armada, Sir Francis Drake.
Sir Walter Raleigh (Original) (Signed)
Medium: Pen & Ink Wash on Board
Size: 6" x 15" (150mm x 380mm)
Signature: Signed by Artist
Description: An original pen and ink and gouache painting of the English adventurer and hero, Sir Walter Raleigh.
Drake's Voyage Around the World (Original)
Medium: Watercolour on Board
Size: 17" x 14" (420mm x 360mm)
Date: 1974
Description: Stories of the Sea. Drake's ship, the Golden Hind, limps back to Portsmouth carrying immense riches. Original artwork from Look and Learn no. 629 (2 February 1974).
The Reichstag burns 1933 (Original)
Medium: Watercolour on Board
Size: 16" x 13" (400mm x 320mm)
Date: 1964
Description: The Night They Burned the Reichstag. A young Dutchman, Marinus van der Lubbe, was blamed for setting fire to the Reichstag, Germany's House of Parliament, in 1933. Original artwork from Look and Learn no. 121 (9 May 1964).
D Day Landing 6th June 1944 (Original)
Medium: Acrylic on Board
Size: 11" x 9" (270mm x 220mm)
Description: A dramatic scene of the D-Day Landings June 6th 1944. This painting was used in an issue of Look and Learn circa 1970s.
Blackbeard the Pirate (Edward Teach) (Original)
Aircraft Carrier (Original)
Medium: Gouache on Board
Size: 31" x 20" (800mm x 520mm)
Date: 1980
Description: Aircraft carrier and jets. Original artwork for Speed and Power. A superbly dramatic painting of the British Navy on the high seas.
The Golden Age of Sail (Original)
Medium: Gouache on Board
Size: 28" x 18" (700mm x 460mm)
Date: 1976
Description: The Golden Age of Sail: Champions of the China Seas. Original artwork from Look and Learn no. 739 (13 March 1976).
Alexander the Great Victory at Gaugamela (Original)
Medium: Gouache on Board
Size: 28" x 20" (720mm x 500mm)
Date: 1978
Description: Highlights from History: The Battle That Won an Empire. Victory at Gaugamela gave Alexander the Great the key to Persia and made him master of a huge empire. Original artwork from Look and Learn no. 843 (11 March 1978).
Forced Landing (Original)
Medium: Gouache on Board
Size: 20" x 12" (520mm x 300mm)
Date: 1965
Description: In December 1963 a group of adventurers attempted to pilot two veteran WWII Messerschmitt 108s across the Atlantic from East to West, against the prevailing winds. They made it - just - with one of the planes forced to land after a broken oil line and an explosion, on the Canadian coast near Goose Bay.
Pioneers of Civil Aviation (Original)
Medium: Gouache on Board
Size: 19" x 11" (495mm x 285mm)
Date: 1978
Description: Claude Grahame-White was one of Britain's leading aviators before World War One. In 1914 he set a world record by carrying eight passengers in an aeroplane. Grahame-White would take passengers for a couple of circuits above Hendon for £2.00 or charge £26.00 for a return flight to Brooklands race track. He also predicted transatlantic passenger flights.
