Leonard Robert Brightwell

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Leonard Robert Brightwell (17 May 1889 – 1962) was an English animal painter, etcher, illustrator, and author. Born in Clapham, London, to James and Emma Brightwell, he studied at Lambeth School of Art and enjoyed visiting the zoo. He became a Fellow of the Zoological Society of London in 1906 and joined the Marine Biological Association in 1922. He was commissioned to make scientific drawings of animals, including extinct species. His first illustrated book was A British Dog in France (1913). He served in the British Army during World War I and then continued working as an illustrator and writer. Brightwell produced signed etchings with James Connell & Sons in London and illustrated an aquarium guide, praised for giving individuality to each creature. His cartoons also appeared in Punch from age 16.