Harold Copping

Harold Copping (1863-1932) was a British artist best known as an illustrator of biblical scenes. 

Born in Camden Town in 1863, he was the second son of journalist Edward Copping (1829–1904) and Rose Heathilla (née Prout) (1832–1877), the daughter of John Skinner Prout, the water-colour artist. 

Harold Copping entered London's Royal Academy where he won a Landseer Scholarship to study in Paris. He quickly became established as a successful painter and illustrator, living in Croydon and Hornsey during the early years of his career. Copping had links with the missionary societies of his time, including the London Missionary Society (LMS), who commissioned him as an illustrator of biblical scenes. To achieve authenticity and realism for his illustrations he travelled to Palestine and Egypt. In many of his Bible paintings, one of his wife's striped tea towels can be seen worn on the heads of various Bible characters. Copping's beautifully executed watercolour illustrations were put onto lantern slides and were used by Christian missionaries all over the world. His pictures were also widely reproduced by missionary societies as posters, tracts and magazine illustrations.

His illustrations for non-religious books included Hammond's Hard Lines (1894), Miss Bobbie (1897), Millionaire (1898), A Queen Among Girls (1900), The Pilgrim's Progress (1903), Westward Ho! (1903), Grace Abounding (1905), Three School Chums (1907), Little Women (1912), Good Wives (1913), A Christmas Carol (1920) and Character Sketches from Boz (1924). He also illustrated the children's books by Mary Angela Dickens based on the novels of her grandfather, Charles Dickens. These included Children's Stories from Dickens (1911) and Dickens' Dream Children (1926). He also illustrated a number of stories set in fictional British public schools, including Boys of the Priory School (1900) and The Boys of Wynport School (1916).

Copping's illustrations were also published in such periodicals as The Leisure Hour, Little Folks, Pearson's Magazine, The Royal Magazine, The Temple Magazine and The Windsor Magazine. A trip to Canada inspired the collection of watercolour sketches, Canadian Pictures.

He lived for many years at 'The Studio' in Shoreham in Kent, and there he died in 1932 aged 68.