Step into the history of Gordon-Crosby

The Louwman Museum exhibits a wide variety of art objects, including a large number of works by Frederick Gordon-Crosby (1885-1943), the famous illustrator of the English magazine The Autocar.

Frederick Gordon-Crosby was hired by car manufacturers to develop technical designs. He had a great passion for automobiles and was also able to produce drawings quickly. At art academies, technology was not the most popular subject, and this set him apart. In this way, he eventually ended up at The Autocar.

In some cases, illustrations were more appealing to car magazines than photos, because (technical) drawings can often show more than photos. In addition, the illustrator could sometimes suggest things in his images that were not actually there. In short, the viewer's imagination could be stimulated in this way.

This was particularly relevant at sporting events such as races and rallies. Gordon-Crosby had become friends with several of Autocar's star reporters, such as S.C.H. Davis (winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans) and W.F. Bradley. He traveled with them to events in Europe that The Autocar covered.

His own preference in cars was for the big monsters from the early days of the Grand Prix. Another theme was airplanes. At the beginning of the twentieth century, it was precisely these subjects that strongly captured the public imagination and were particularly suited to artistic and romantic expression.

The paintings and drawings by Gordon-Crosby featuring racing or sports cars are the best known and can be seen extensively at the Louwman Museum. When you look at his paintings, it feels as if you are standing next to the artist at the moment he makes his first sketches. In reality, people would probably never have seen what would later appear as an illustration alongside a race report.

Let us take an example, in this case the 1906 French Grand Prix. The painting in the art section of the Louwman Museum shows the red car of the eventual winner Ferenc Szisz, a Renault, locked in fierce battle with Duray's De Dietrich.

Stone chips were, so to speak, flying around the viewer's ears! The truth, however, was different. This romanticized image exists only in the artist's mind. In reality, the winner had a lead of 32 minutes over the runner up!

The above does not apply only to this illustration, but also to several other images. The journalist writing the piece naturally had to give the impression that it had been an exciting race, and this had to be supported by an illustration. If a picture of the actual race had been made, it would never have received the attention inspired by Gordon-Crosbys fantastic image.
Of course, there are also works by Gordon-Crosby that do indeed depict the sometimes harsh reality: scenes from car factories where working conditions were appalling, charming landscapes, naturally enlivened with images of one or more cars, which in terms of quality can easily be compared with the work of so-called great masters.

He also had a humorous side; for example, the Louwman Museum displays a number of caricatures of drivers who are especially well known in England. Many of them made a name for themselves at the Brooklands circuit and are less well known in the rest of Europe.

These images show, among others, Hindmarsh and Fontes seated in the winning car of the 24 hour race at Le Mans in 1935. This car can also be seen in the museum.
Another artistic creation by Gordon-Crosby served as the model for the Jaguar mascot. The leaping jaguar (cheetah) can still be seen on Jaguar cars to this day.

In the 1930s, Gordon-Crosbys works became darker and more impressionistic in nature (such as the painting of the 1937 Monaco Grand Prix).
In 1943, the family suffered a heavy blow when their youngest son was killed in an air battle. Gordon-Crosby was unable to cope with this loss and took his own life that same year. He was only 58 years old.

Peter Helbach