A graduate of the old Brighton Grammar School and Brighton School of Art, Conrad Heighton Leigh went onto the Slade School of Art in London and the Academie Julian before making a career in painting, murals and poster design as well as book illustration. He lived and worked in Brighton in the early twentieth century.
He is particularly well known for his sporting and military subjects, many of which were used as illustrations for books, periodicals and popular postcards in the early half of the 20th century. His work featured regularly in the Strand Magazine, The Daily Mirror, Wide World and Windsor.
During the first decade of the 20th century Conrad Heighton Leigh was commissioned to paint a panel for the luncheon room at the Hall of the Carpenters' Company in London Wall, a livery company of the City of London. The hall was completely burnt out during an air raid of 10 May 1941, when a gas main in London wall ignited, however most of the pictures survived.
In 1915 Leigh was commissioned by the wallpaper manufacturers John Gilkes and Sons to provide designs for their wallpaper range and additionally designed their celebrated promotion poster in 1920 which has been reproduced and is retailed by many modern print and poster stores. The original period 1920 printing is highly sought. A further celebrated poster was designed by Leigh for the Brighton Carnival (24 June to 1 July c.1920s, actual year is unknown). Conrad Leigh worked at 68 Grand Parade, Brighton, now the Grand Parade Campus at the University of Brighton Faculty of Arts. The date and place of his death is unknown.
His work as an illustrator includes the following:
