E. Mervyn Taylor
E. Mervyn Taylor was a renowned New Zealand painter, illustrator and wood engraver. He championed printmaking and believed strongly in making art more accessible for everyone. Working mainly in woodblock, many of his engravings were used for illustrations in the ‘School Journal’.
E. Mervyn Taylor (1906 to 1964) was born in Auckland. After one year at Auckland Grammar School, he left to become an apprentice jewellery engraver with WH Worral jewellery manufacturers. Over this early period in his life, he grew an appreciation for craft and design and began to develop his printmaking skills. He went on to gain experience in window display, advertising and freelance design, and also contributed to the war effort, drafting maps and working in the Army Education and Welfare services.
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![Silhouette of a man standing with a cigarette in his right hand]()
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Taylor was an illustrator for the ‘School Journal’ from 1940 and art editor from 1944 to 1946. Following WWII, he was a part of the Journal’s change to focus on local stories, illustrated by local artists. This echoed a larger trend, as New Zealanders sought to define themselves more geographically, within Te Moana Nui a Kiwa (the Pacific). As editor, Taylor developed his wood engravings further — a medium he continued with over his career, making over 200 images on wood blocks.
Having become a renowned painter, illustrator, and wood engraver, Taylor also created several large wall murals across the country. In particular he championed printmaking and believed strongly in making art more accessible for everyone. Exhibiting regularly throughout Aotearoa New Zealand and overseas, he received international recognition as a member of the Society of Illustrators in New York (1950) and was a Fellow for the International Institute of Arts and Letters in Lindau, East Germany (1953).
The illustrations featured here were made for a series of Journals in the early to mid 1940s. Reflecting Taylor’s interests, they blend classic and romantic designs with New Zealand themes and subject matter, as well as Māori oral history traditions. This was an enduring feature of both the ‘School Journal’ and his own practice.
E. Mervyn Taylor's artworks for the ‘School Journal’
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![Black print on an old yellowed paper showing a Kiwi bird and a bear on a tree]()
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![Black print on an old yellowed paper showing two men standing on a bot, dolphins jumping in the sea, birds flying in the sky]()
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![Black print on an old yellowed paper showing a man holding a hand of another man, a king sitting in the background and a fanbearer holding a fan]()
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![Black print on an old yellowed paper showing a bald man wearing a belt in middle of swirling wind and a tiny man at the bottom]()
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![Black print on an old yellowed paper showing a man wearing a black coat and standing near a boy sitting on a bed with three boys on his side]()
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![Black print on an old yellowed paper showing a man in a window of a building pulling a rope, a boy climbing the rope and a boat in the rough waters below]()
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![Black print on an old yellowed paper showing a dense forest and a monkey pulling on an elephants trunk.]()
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![Black print on an old yellowed paper showing a dwarf wearing a pointed hat, standing in front of a cave and another man wearing a hat, cloak and boots on the left]()
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![Black print on an old yellowed paper showing a woman walking, a house on the left and trees behind]()
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![Black print on an old yellowed paper showing a boy falling down from a horse in a field]()
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![Black print on an old yellowed paper showing a dwarf and a dog on a stage, some kids watching them and words written Punch and Judy on the stage]()
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![Black print on an old yellowed paper showing a bearded man riding a horse, a boy with a stick in his hand in the front]()
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![Black print on an old yellowed paper showing a man sleeping on the grass and another man standing on the right]()
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![Black print on an old yellowed paper showing a wild animal running, a tornado following and a man wearing a hat watched the animal.]()
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![Black print on an old yellowed paper showing a bear climbing a man approaching a castle and a woman waiting at the entrance]()
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![Black print on an old yellowed paper showing a man wearing a hat and holding an axe in front of a tree, another man standing in the front]()
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![Black print on an old yellowed paper showing animals such as a horse, a pig, a donkey, and birds looking at a boat in the sea.]()
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![Black print on an old yellowed paper showing few birds flying in the sky]()
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![Black print on an old yellowed paper showing a bear on a tree and a man hanging holding a rope]()
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![Black print on an old yellowed paper showing a group of people standing in the front and tall mountains at the back.]()
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![Black print on an old yellowed paper showing a group of people in a boat in a stormy sea]()
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![Black print on an old yellowed paper showing a man standing in a door of a house, an animal entering the house.]()
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![Black print on an old yellowed paper showing a man driving a horse cart and another man wearing a hat sits beside him.]()
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![Black print on an old yellowed paper of a closeup of a hippopotamus with bold black and dotted patches in the background]()
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![Black print on an old yellowed paper showing a bear climbing a tree and a mouse sitting on his body]()
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![Black print on an old yellowed paper showing a map of the North Island]()
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![Black print on an old yellowed paper showing a man holding luggage on his head]()
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