F. Gordon Crosby

Frederick Gordon Crosby (1885-1943), known as Gordon Crosby, was an English automotive illustrator. He worked for the magazine Autocar for most of his life. His illustrations and paintings reflect the excitement and glamour surrounding the automotive industry's birth and early development.

Crosby had no formal training as an artist, although he did attend life classes at art school after starting his professional career.

In 1908 he started his career as a draughtsman in The Daimler Motor Company's drawing office. At this time he moved into Arthur Ludlow Clayton's home in Coventry. This was an environment full of young men, all wildly enthusiastic about the cars of the day.

Ludlow Clayton's first job was for the Automobile Engineer, published by Iliffe, the same company that published Autocar. Clayton drew Iliffe's attention to Crosby, who was then commissioned to create a perspective drawing of the BTH magneto. This was to be one of the first drawings of a style that was later to be termed an exploded view and begun Crosby's Autocar career.

In 1908, at 23, Crosby moved from Daimler to Autocar. Through his years with Autocar, his talent and reputation grew. While not fond of travelling abroad, he would travel wherever his work took him. This included Paris, where he would sketch the latest models about to be released to the public, much to the annoyance of many of the vehicle stand attendants.

From 1914 to 1918, Crosby was engaged in the investigation of German military aircraft, including Fighter and Zeppelin engine defaults.

Crosby exhibited three times at the Royal Academy, the first in 1916 with his painting of Flt. Lt. Reggie Warneford shooting down an L37 over Ghent. This was both the first German zeppelin to be shot down by British aircraft, and the first aeronautical picture ever hung in the Royal Academy.

His work reflects the ease with which he was able to move between different media, from pen and ink to charcoal, crayons or watercolour, as well as a variety of sizes. Some of his most vibrant works were produced at the Targa Florio in Sicily, where he and W.F. Bradley were allowed to travel around the track by car during the race. Crosby was commissioned by Vincenzo Florio to make several paintings of the race, and these are still in possession of the Sicilian Automobile Club. 

Crosby also created the Jaguar car 'leaping cat' mascot. This first appeared on Jaguar cars late in 1938.

He married Marjory Dickenson in 1913. His first son Peter was born in 1914 and his second son Michael in 1920.

In 1943 Crosby’s eldest son, Peter, died in an aerial battle and unable to cope with this loss, Frederick Gordon Crosby committed suicide in August that year, aged just 58.