Nit pickery on my day off
I keep seeing this, and it keeps driving me nuts. I know I'm going to go to someone's house, and they're going to find out I like Beardsley, and ask me what they think of their poster....
http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Hamlet-Illustration-Posters_i2850884_.htm
So I decided I might as well write an email.
To Whom It May Concern at Allposters.com:
Item #: 2850884 is listed as a work by Aubrey Beardsley, but to the best of my knowledge, it is not. It is a work by John Austen, whose illustrations are very similar to Beardsley's, but he is not the same artist. The print listed as Item #: 2850884 comes from an illustrated edition of Hamlet published in 1922 by Dutton. This may or may not have ramifications for Allposters.com in terms of copyrights, etc. I am certain that Allposters.com is invested in bringing art and accurate information about art and artists to its customers, and would be interested in correcting this listing to give credit where credit is due.
Aubrey Beardsley never illustrated an edition of Hamlet, though one of his early celebrated drawings, "Hamlet Patris Manem Sequitur" can be seen in several reference books of his work (my current reference is "The Art of Aubrey Beardsley" by Catherine Slessor, 1989 Quintet Publishing Limited, ISBN 1-55521-449-5.) It looks nothing like Item #: 2850884 and in fact is in a similar style to that of Burne-Jones. Beardsley's influence on artists was significant-- significant enough that works created long after his life ended are credited to him (and not just by Allposters.com.)
I regret that I cannot locate an online copy of the image listed as Item #: 2850884 with its proper citation, but here is some information on John Austen,
http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/Biographies/MainBiographies/A/Austen/Austen.htm
Note, in particular, the "Dramatis Personae" page which uses the same style of drawing and title font.
I appreciate the wide selection of art available for purchase in many forms on Allposters.com, and would welcome both more Aubrey Beardsley and "Beardsleyesque" selections from artists like John Austen, Harry Clarke, Baresford Egan, Alastair, Mahlon Blaine, Austin Spare, Jessie M. King, Dorothy P. Lathrop, and so forth. Thank you for providing your usual high level of service, attention, and accuracy-- a gift to art appreciators everywhere.
sincerely,
Katherine R. Coffey
http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Hamlet-Illustration-Posters_i2850884_.htm
So I decided I might as well write an email.
To Whom It May Concern at Allposters.com:
Item #: 2850884 is listed as a work by Aubrey Beardsley, but to the best of my knowledge, it is not. It is a work by John Austen, whose illustrations are very similar to Beardsley's, but he is not the same artist. The print listed as Item #: 2850884 comes from an illustrated edition of Hamlet published in 1922 by Dutton. This may or may not have ramifications for Allposters.com in terms of copyrights, etc. I am certain that Allposters.com is invested in bringing art and accurate information about art and artists to its customers, and would be interested in correcting this listing to give credit where credit is due.
Aubrey Beardsley never illustrated an edition of Hamlet, though one of his early celebrated drawings, "Hamlet Patris Manem Sequitur" can be seen in several reference books of his work (my current reference is "The Art of Aubrey Beardsley" by Catherine Slessor, 1989 Quintet Publishing Limited, ISBN 1-55521-449-5.) It looks nothing like Item #: 2850884 and in fact is in a similar style to that of Burne-Jones. Beardsley's influence on artists was significant-- significant enough that works created long after his life ended are credited to him (and not just by Allposters.com.)
I regret that I cannot locate an online copy of the image listed as Item #: 2850884 with its proper citation, but here is some information on John Austen,
http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/Biographies/MainBiographies/A/Austen/Austen.htm
Note, in particular, the "Dramatis Personae" page which uses the same style of drawing and title font.
I appreciate the wide selection of art available for purchase in many forms on Allposters.com, and would welcome both more Aubrey Beardsley and "Beardsleyesque" selections from artists like John Austen, Harry Clarke, Baresford Egan, Alastair, Mahlon Blaine, Austin Spare, Jessie M. King, Dorothy P. Lathrop, and so forth. Thank you for providing your usual high level of service, attention, and accuracy-- a gift to art appreciators everywhere.
sincerely,
Katherine R. Coffey