100 Years of Illustration

Edwin A. Abbey - 4

Some examples of Abbey's work in Harper's Monthly Magazine from the year 1909. Click on images to enlarge them.

Henry VIII and Anne Bullen (sic) from Henry VIII by William Shakespeare in the March 1909 issue of Harper's Monthly Magazine.

Detail of the above.

An illustration from Cymbeline by William Shakespeare in Harper's Monthly Magazine for April 1909. Act II. Scene II. Iachimo steals from the trunk.

Another illustration from Cymbeline by William Shakespeare in Harper's Monthly Magazine for April 1909. Act III. Scene VI. Imogen: "Ho! who's here? If anything that's civil, speak."

An illustration from Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare in Harper's Monthly Magazine for September 1909. Act V. Scene II. Charmian: "Your crown's awry; I'll mend it, and then play --"

Another illustration from Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare in Harper's Monthly Magazine for September 1909. Act IV. Scene IV. Cleopatra: "Sooth, la, I'll help; thus it must be."

An illustration from Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare in Harper's Monthly Magazine for October 1909. Aaron.

Edwin A. Abbey - 3

Some examples of Abbey's work in Harper's Monthly Magazine from 1904 to 1907. Click on images to enlarge them.

An illustration from Theodore_Watts-Dunton's critical comment of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" in Harper's Monthly Magazine for May 1904. Act IV. Scene V. Elsinore -- a room in the castle. Ophelia: "And of all Christian souls! I pray God. God be wi' you!"

An illustration from Swinburne's critical comment of Shakespeare's "Othello" in Harper's Monthly Magazine for October 1904. From Shakespeare's "Othello" in Harper's Monthly Magazine for October 1904. Act II. Scene I. A seaport town in Cyprus. Othello: "O my fair warrrior"

Detail of the large scene, above.

From Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" in Harper's Monthly Magazine for February 1906. Act III. Scene I. Caesar: "The ides of March are come." Soothsayer: "Aye, Caesar; but not gone."

Detail from an illustration from Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in Harper's Monthly Magazine for November 1906. Act IV. Scene I. First Apparition: "Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! beware McDuff!."

From Harper's Monthly Magazine for June 1907. Sir John Falstaff with his page -- King Henry IV. Act I. Scene II. No lines included on the original color plate, nor could I find other material for this play.

Color plate from Shakespeare's "Troilus and Cressida" in Harper's Monthly Magazine for October 1907. Cassandra.

From Arthur Symon's critical comment of "Troilus and Cressida." Cressida and her uncle. Look at those faces! Did illustration ever get any better than that?

Edwin A. Abbey - 2

More of Abbey's work from Harper's Monthly Magazine of 1902 and 1903. Click on images to enlarge them.

"Galahad's Departure," a mural painting of The Quest of the Holy Grail" at the Boston Public Library.

Black-and-white ink drawings from The Deserted Village which ran as a supplement on heavy unbleached paper stock in issues of Harper's Monthly Magazine for 1902.

An illustration from Swinburne's critical comment of Shakespeare's "King Richard II" in Harper's Monthly Magazine for March 1903.

Illustrations from Arthur Symon's critical comment of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" in Harper's Monthly Magazine for July 1903. This, from Act I: Scene V. Romeo in a hall of Capulet's house.

From Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" in Harper's Monthly Magazine for July 1903. Act V. Scene III. A Churchyard, Juliet: "-- O happy dagger! This is my sheath. . . "

From Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" in Harper's Monthly Magazine for July 1903. Act II. Scene VI. Friar Laurence's Cell, Friar: "-- Romeo shall thank thee, daughter, for us both "

Introducing E.A. Abbey

Next: The great illustrator Edwin A. Abbey, R.A. Click to enlarge this illustration from Harper's Monthly Magazine of November 1906. It is of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, from Act II, Scene II. She is depicted imploring her husband, "Give me the daggers."

For more about Abbey, go to Bud Plant's site at this link.

This is a photo of E.A. Abbey, R.A. that appeared in an article about him in Harper's Monthly Magazine for May 1900, when Abbey was in his late forties. By that time he had become probably the best known and admired illustrator, painter and muralist in both Britain and the United States.

This is Abbey's Studio we are told (but the eminent author, painter and art critic Henry Strachey neglects to tell us where in England it is -- or perhaps it's an editorial oversight). It doesn't take an art historian or genius to learn from the photo that this is one painter who works on a grand scale. Click on image to enlarge.

Click on the image to enlarge the photo, a section of Abbey's mural, "Holy Grail," in the Boston Public Library as it appeared in 1898.

Abbey was a mere lad of 21 when this sketch appeared in Harper's Monthly Magazine for January 1873 in the section entitled "Editor's Drawer" depicting a "persuasive rascal, this wandering dog-fancier." The words are not likely those of Abbey but of the London correspondent for the magazine.

Abbey's illustration of French refugees for the same section in Harper's Monthly Magazine appeared in the April 1873 issue. Click on these images to enlarge them.