Famed illustrator John Berry, is best known for his distinguished work for Ladybird books, of which the following images are all associated. Born in Hammersmith in 1920 he came to maturity just at the outbreak of the Second World War, his youth bookended by the two most significant events of the twentieth century. Although his opportunity to study at the RCA was cut short by the start of the war, the conflict was in due course to present him with new opportunities. He was eventually drawn from the ranks to work as an official war artist, and his most significant work from this period, 25 Pounder Gun and Team in Action on the El-Alamein Front, 1942, now forms part of the Imperial War Museum collection.

In the late 1950s he began work with Ladybird publishing, and over the next 30 years contributed to around 50 books. Feeding the Sealions at London Zoo belongs to the Book of London and is a charming reflection on what was one of the city’s most popular days out. Seals and sealions were extremely popular features at the zoo from 1909-1999, with feeding time being a huge draw, until they were replaced by the pygmy hippos. Some of his most recognised and popular images are from the People at Work series, which provides a fascinating insight in to the industrial fabric of post-war Britain.