About Hans Tisdall
Hans Tisdall, 86, German-British artist.
Explore other notable deaths in 1997 or deaths in January 1997.
The Deaths Archive presents
How well do you know Hans Tisdall?
Explore their life. Test your knowledge. Beat the challenge.
10 questions · One legacy · How much do you really know?
Challenge your friends
Play together in real-time.
Advertisement
Full Biography
|Hans Tisdall (nee Aufseeser, 14 August 1910 – 31 January 1997), was a German-born artist, who worked in the UK as a designer and teacher. He is largely remembered for his bookjacket and textile designs.
After training in Munich and Berlin, Aufseeser moved to Paris and then London. He changed his name to Tisdall in around 1940, marrying the journalist and Tamesa Fabrics founder Isabel Tisdall in 1941.
Career
Hans Tisdall made his name in the 1930s as a textile designer with Edinburgh Weavers. In the 1960s, he created many designs for Tamesa Fabrics – working alongside designers such as Marianne Straub. Fabrics woven at Warner & Sons were used for a number of prestigious commercial projects.
Tisdall was among the designers who contributed to the Festival of Britain in 1951, winning the competition to design the entrance to the funfair at Battersea Park's pleasure gardens.
From the 1950s on, Tisdall also became known for creating bookjackets, notably for Jonathan Cape. A typeface based on his brushstroke style, known as Tisdall Script, was created by Michael Harvey in 2001. Another typeface called Blesk, loosely based on his lettering for books by Ivor Brown, was created in 2015.
Tisdall taught at Central School (now University of the Arts) from 1947 to 1962, initially in the textile department and later in the school of painting.
Works
Of Tisdall's paintings, Moorings at Kew and two still lifes are in the collection of Manchester Art Gallery and Hastings is part of the collection of Pallant House Gallery in Chichester. Some of his textile designs are held at the Warner Textile Archive in Braintree. A small selection of his designs is held by University of the Arts London.
Exhibitions
A retrospective of Tisdall's work was held at The Pride Gallery in London in 1988 and at the Galerie Vömel in Düsseldorf shortly before his wife's death in 2007.
Books
- Hans Tisdall: A Retrospective, The Pride Gallery, 1988, ISBN 6000012756.
- Balbus: A Picture Book of Building by Oliver Hill and Hans Tisdall (Pleiades Books Ltd, 1944)
Other sources
- Powers, Alan (1997) Obituary: Hans Tisdall, The Independent 7th Feb. https://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/obituary-hans-tisdall-5581928.html [Accessed 7th January 2026]
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Interactive
Test Your Knowledge – Trivia Challenge
How well do you know this person's life and legacy?
No account needed to play. Sign in to keep your score on the leaderboard.
Articles & News
Reported coverage of Hans Tisdall; each link opens the original article on the publisher's own site.
Books & Media
Find books, audiobooks and films about Hans Tisdall on Amazon.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Tisdall
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Hans Tisdall's archived record and the sources above.
1.How old was Hans Tisdall at the time of his death?
- A.87
- B.85
- C.86correct
- D.88
Hans Tisdall was 86 years old when he died.
Source: biographical header
2.On what date was Hans Tisdall born?
- A.14 August 1940
- B.14 August 1910correct
- C.31 January 1997
- D.14 August 1941
Hans Tisdall was born on 14 August 1910.
Source: biographical header
3.What was the birth name of Hans Tisdall?
- A.Hans Brown
- B.Hans Harvey
- C.Hans Blesk
- D.Hans Aufseesercorrect
Hans Tisdall was born with the surname Aufseeser.
Source: biographical header
4.In which cities did Hans Tisdall receive his initial artistic training?
- A.Braintree and London
- B.Munich and Berlincorrect
- C.Düsseldorf and Chichester
- D.London and Paris
Hans Tisdall completed his artistic training in Munich and Berlin before moving to Paris and London.
Source: biographical introduction
5.Who did Hans Tisdall marry in 1941?
- A.Oliver Hill
- B.Isabel Tisdallcorrect
- C.Michael Harvey
- D.Marianne Straub
Hans Tisdall married the journalist and Tamesa Fabrics founder Isabel Tisdall in 1941.
Source: biographical introduction
6.For which company did Hans Tisdall design textiles during the 1930s?
- A.Tamesa Fabrics
- B.Warner & Sons
- C.Pleiades Books Ltd
- D.Edinburgh Weaverscorrect
Hans Tisdall established his reputation in the 1930s as a textile designer for Edinburgh Weavers.
Source: career section
7.What competition did Hans Tisdall win for the 1951 Festival of Britain?
- A.The poster campaign for the South Bank site
- B.The design for the main exhibition hall facade
- C.The entrance to the funfair at Battersea Park's pleasure gardenscorrect
- D.The textile pavilion interior display
Hans Tisdall won the competition to design the entrance to the funfair at Battersea Park's pleasure gardens for the Festival of Britain.
Source: career section
8.During which years did Hans Tisdall teach at the Central School?
- A.1947 to 1962correct
- B.1930 to 1940
- C.1962 to 1988
- D.1951 to 1960
Hans Tisdall was a teacher at the Central School from 1947 until 1962.
Source: career section
9.What is the name of the typeface based on Hans Tisdall's brushstroke style?
- A.Kew Sans
- B.Tisdall Scriptcorrect
- C.Aufseeser Bold
- D.Blesk
Michael Harvey created a typeface called Tisdall Script in 2001 based on Hans Tisdall's brushstroke style.
Source: career section
10.Which painting by Hans Tisdall is part of the collection at the Pallant House Gallery in Chichester?
- A.Hastingscorrect
- B.Still Life in Blue
- C.Battersea Pleasure Gardens
- D.Moorings at Kew
The painting titled Hastings is held in the collection of the Pallant House Gallery in Chichester.
Source: works section
11.Where are some of Hans Tisdall's textile designs physically housed?
- A.Warner Textile Archive in Braintreecorrect
- B.The Pride Gallery in London
- C.Manchester Art Gallery
- D.Galerie Vömel in Düsseldorf
The Warner Textile Archive in Braintree holds a collection of Hans Tisdall's textile designs.
Source: works section
12.In what year was the book Balbus: A Picture Book of Building published?
- A.1988
- B.1951
- C.1944correct
- D.1930
Hans Tisdall co-authored Balbus: A Picture Book of Building with Oliver Hill, which was published in 1944.
Source: books section
13.At which London gallery was a retrospective of Hans Tisdall's work held in 1988?
- A.The Pride Gallerycorrect
- B.Pallant House Gallery
- C.Galerie Vömel
- D.Manchester Art Gallery
A retrospective of Hans Tisdall's work was held at The Pride Gallery in London in 1988.
Source: exhibitions section
14.When did Hans Tisdall die?
- A.14 August 1910
- B.31 January 1997correct
- C.7 February 1997
- D.7 January 2026
Hans Tisdall passed away on 31 January 1997.
Source: biographical header
15.Which designer worked alongside Hans Tisdall at Tamesa Fabrics in the 1960s?
- A.Marianne Straubcorrect
- B.Michael Harvey
- C.Oliver Hill
- D.Ivor Brown
Hans Tisdall worked at Tamesa Fabrics in the 1960s alongside designers including Marianne Straub.
Source: career section
16.What is the name of the typeface created in 2015 based on Hans Tisdall's lettering?
- A.Tisdall Script
- B.Hill Sans
- C.Kew Serif
- D.Bleskcorrect
The typeface Blesk was created in 2015, based on Hans Tisdall's lettering for books written by Ivor Brown.
Source: career section
People who died on January 31
Spotted an error?
Help us keep the archive accurate. Report a correction with a source.
Report an error for Hans Tisdall →Advertisement
