Ashmolean Museum Oxford
by Colin Harrison, Jon Whiteley and Victor Benjamin
The story of Lucien Pissarro, son of the Impressionist painter, Camille Pissarro, and his efforts to make and sell beautifully crafted books from one of the earliest and most inventive private presses.
Lucien Pissarro first came to England at the age of seven when his parents took refuge in London during the Franco-Prussian war. He returned on a number of occasions and finally settled there in 1890. He had tried without much success to make a career in France as a print-maker and book illustrator and had hopes of making a better livelihood in England. He might well have given up and returned to France but was encouraged to remain by the support of Charles Ricketts and Ricketts's friends at the Vale Press and also by his marriage in 1892 to Esther Bensusan.The story of the Pissarro's efforts to make and sell beautifully crafted books is a tale of constant hardship and threatened insolvency as they struggled, without capital, to produce costly little books which few wanted or could afford.
These books are a product of the English Arts and Crafts movement, as Lucien readily acknowledged, but they are also marked by Lucien's French background and by the influence of Camille who took a close interest in the work of his son and did not always appreciate the whiff of Pre-Raphaelitism which he sometimes detected in the illustrations. An obstinate belief in the value of their work and in the ultimate success of their enterprise kept them going until 1914 when the last of the Eragny books was published. Illness, exhaustion, debt and war combined with many other obstacles to close down one of the earliest and most inventive of the private presses. The remainder of Lucien's long career belongs to the history of British painting.
Paperback
Book contains 160 pages
Dimensions: 16.89 x 1.24 x 24.77cm
Shipping to United States of America is currently suspended for the foreseeable future.
The de minimus exemption for orders under $800 going to USA ended on Friday 29 August 2025. Please bear with us while we update our systems to accommodate the new tariffs and duties.
Christmas Delivery Dates
Please be aware that during busy periods, such as Christmas, it may take us longer than normal to respond to enquiries and to dispatch orders.
We recommend placing your order as early as possible to avoid disappointment. These are the recommended last dates for placing your order:
UK delivery – midnight Wednesday 17 December 2025
International delivery – midnight Wednesday 10 December 2025 (delivery times may be affected by customs clearance)
There will be reduced staffing over the Christmas holidays, so any online orders placed after midday Monday 22 December will be dispatched after 5 January 2026.
Our Pickup service is a convenient way for you to order online and collect your purchase in person at the Museum. Simply select the Pickup option at checkout.
The Online Shop team operates between Monday-Friday 10:00-16:00, so please allow time for us to prepare your order for collection or delivery, particularly at busy times of the year. We aim to have your order ready for collection/delivery within 72 hours.
The Museum will be closed on 24, 25, 26 December 2025, and 1 January 2026.
UK 1st Class: delivery 2-5 business days from dispatch
Europe: approximately 3-11 business days from dispatch (customs clearance may cause delays)
Rest of World: approximately 3-11 business days from dispatch (customs clearance may cause delays)
Please be aware that orders to International addresses may be subject to local customs duty or taxes. You will need to pay any additional charges for customs clearance, charges include local VAT and duty based on the value and origin of the product.
There is 5kg weight restriction for UK orders, and a 2kg weight restriction for International orders. If your order exceeds this weight, please contact the Online Shop team so that we can organise a quote for special delivery: onlineshop@ashmus.ox.ac.uk
Further information on our delivery options and returns policy can be found in Shipping & Returns.
The profit from your purchases helps fund the running, collection and care of the Ashmolean Museum, which is free to enter and offers more than 1000 tours, workshops and lectures each year. By shopping with us today, you are helping support everything that we do.
© 2025 University Of Oxford.
All Rights Reserved.
