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Rare Raymond Briggs author illustrations on display

Raymond Briggs Illustration of Father Christmas walking along a snow covered rooftop above partying peopleRaymond Briggs
Raymond Briggs' Father Christmas was published to much acclaim in 1973

A selection of rarely seen images created by The Snowman and Father Christmas author Raymond Briggs have gone on display at a museum.

Mr Briggs, who also created Fungus the Bogeyman, died in August aged 88.

The Snowman was adapted into Bafta TV award-winning animated film in 1982 and has sold more than 5.5m copies around the world.

Raymond Briggs: A Retrospective will be at the Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle until 26 February.

David Sandison Raymond BriggsDavid Sandison
Raymond Briggs died in August aged 88

It features a variety of his work held by the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration, some of which have "never been shown before in the north of England," a museum spokeswoman said.

The exhibition includes work from Briggs' The Snowman (published in 1978), Father Christmas (1973), Fungus the Bogeyman (1977) and autobiographical graphic novel Ethel and Ernest (1998).

It includes his drawings, hand-lettered typography and page designs from his earliest commissions through to his 2004 book The Puddleman.

Here are a selection of works on display at the museum.

Hamish Hamilton's Childrens Books Cut out words stuck to an illustrated pageHamish Hamilton's Childrens Books
The exhibition features early drafts and layouts of Raymond Briggs' books such as this one from The Fairy tale Treasury in 1972
Raymond Briggs Doubel page spread from Ethel and ErnestRaymond Briggs
It also includes original art work such as this double-page spread from the autobiographical Ethel and Ernest
Raymond Briggs A double page spread showing a colourful VE Day party from Ethel and ErnestRaymond Briggs
Ethel and Ernest, which was about Briggs' parents, was named Best Illustrated Book of the Year at the 1999 British Book Awards
Raymond Briggs Fungus the Bogeyman double page spreadRaymond Briggs
Fungus the Bogeyman was published in 1977
Raymond Briggs A picture of Father Christmas having a sandwich on a snow covered rooftop beside his deerRaymond Briggs
Father Christmas and Father Christmas Goes on Holiday were popular Raymond Briggs books
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