The Romano-Gothic friezes decorating the exterior of the Crawford Market in Bombay serve as a lasting testament to the technical skill of John Lockwood Kipling. Beyond his architectural contributions, he held a significant role as a visual artist and educator whose career spanned from nineteenth-century industrial England to the colonial institutions of British India.
Early Training and English Commissions
Born in 1837 in Pickering, John Lockwood Kipling attended the Woodhouse Grove School. His initial professional years were spent in Staffordshire, where he collaborated on designs for the Wedgwood Institute in Burslem. His experience in the English art scene included work at the South Kensington Museum, which prepared him for the institutional roles he would later assume abroad.
Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.
Take the IQ test →Educational Leadership in India
In 1865, Kipling relocated to India to join the Jeejeebhoy School of Art in Bombay as a professor of architectural sculpture, later becoming its principal. During his tenure, he conducted extensive government-commissioned tours of the Punjab, North-West Frontier, and Kashmir, producing a vast archive of sketches documenting indigenous craftsmen and regional antiquities. In 1875, he moved to Lahore to serve as the Principal of the Mayo School of Arts, while simultaneously acting as curator of the original Lahore Museum.
Pedagogy and Imperial Design
Kipling’s approach to art education involved the systematic training of local artisans, effectively bridging traditional craft and formal design. His influence extended to imperial administration; he designed decorations for the 1877 Imperial Assemblage in Delhi, where Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India. His protégé, Bhai Ram Singh, later assisted in the decoration of the Durbar Room at Osborne House. Additionally, Kipling edited the Journal of Indian Art and Industry, documenting the output of his students.
Illustrative Work and Retirement
Following his retirement to England in 1893, Kipling continued to contribute to the publishing field. He provided illustrations for numerous volumes, including Flora Annie Steel’s Tales of the Punjab and various books authored by his son, Rudyard Kipling. His own analytical work, Beast and Man in India, was published in 1891. He died in 1911 and is interred in the Tisbury parish churchyard in Wiltshire.
Fast facts
- Born: 1837, Pickering
- Died: 1911, Tisbury
- Education: Woodhouse Grove School
- Notable honor: Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire
- Key role: Principal, Mayo School of Arts, Lahore
- Key role: Curator, Lahore Museum
- Published work: Beast and Man in India (1891)
- Exhibition: 2017 retrospective at Bard Graduate Center
Questions readers ask
What was Kipling's connection to the Lahore Museum?
He served as the curator of the original Lahore Museum, which he referred to as the 'Wonder House' or Ajaib Ghar.
Did he illustrate his son's work?
Yes, he provided illustrations for several of Rudyard Kipling's books, most notably The Two Jungle Books.
Achievements
- Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire
