Phil May (1864-1903), Cartoonist and silhouette artist
Philip William ('Phil') May
Sitter in 14 portraits
Artist of 20 portraits
Philip William May was a caricaturist. He was born near Leeds and was the son of an engineer who died when May was nine years old. May worked in a variety of jobs before moving to London, and shortly afterward to Australia, when he was seventeen. In Australia he found work with the Sydney Bulletin, and in just three years produced over 800 drawings for the Bulletin. On his return to London in 1892 May drew for the St Stephen's Review; his studies of the London guttersnipes and coster-girls rapidly made him famous. He became a regular member of the staff of Punch in 1896, and in his later years his services were retained exclusively for Punch and The Graphic.
Aretas Akers-Douglas, 1st Viscount Chilston
by Philip William ('Phil') May
watercolour
NPG 4991
by Philip William ('Phil') May
pen and ink
NPG 3032
by Philip William ('Phil') May
pen and ink, circa 1880s
NPG 1611
Sir John Dugdale Astley, 3rd Bt
by Philip William ('Phil') May
silhouette, 1889
On display in the Billiard Room at Bodelwyddan Castle
NPG 3173
Sir John Dugdale Astley, 3rd Bt
by Philip William ('Phil') May
silhouette, 1889
NPG 3173a
John Sholto Douglas, 8th Marquess of Queensberry
by Philip William ('Phil') May
silhouette, 1889
NPG 3174
by Philip William ('Phil') May
black chalk, late 1890s
NPG 2661
by Philip William ('Phil') May
pen and ink, 1893
NPG 2819
Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury
by Philip William ('Phil') May
pen and ink, 1893
NPG 1610
by Philip William ('Phil') May
pen, brush and pencil on paper, 1894
NPG 3038
by Philip William ('Phil') May
silhouette on glass, 1894
NPG 3941
by Philip William ('Phil') May
chalk, circa 1895
NPG 4057
by Philip William ('Phil') May
oil on paper, 1897
NPG 2436
by Philip William ('Phil') May
pencil, 1899
NPG 3679
by Philip William ('Phil') May
pencil, 1899
NPG 3680
by Philip William ('Phil') May
pencil, 1899
NPG 3681
by Philip William ('Phil') May
pencil, 1901
NPG 4392
by Philip William ('Phil') May
pencil, 1901
NPG 4149
by Philip William ('Phil') May
pen and ink, 1902
NPG 3020
All paintings by this artist on the BBC Your Paintings website
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Yorkshire
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