Robert Stewart Sherriffs
(1906-1960), Caricaturist and cartoonistArtist associated with 41 portraits
Sherriffs attended Edinburgh College of Art where he initially studied heraldic design in addition to fine art. His first published caricature, of actor John Barrymore in the Bystander, was spotted by Beverley Nichols, who asked him to illustrate the 'Woad' series of celebrity profiles that he wrote in the Sketch. Sheriffs went on to produce regular full-page theatre and film drawings for the magazine. From 1927, he contributed drawings to the Radio Times. He illustrated a number of books, beginning in 1930 with Christopher Marlowe's The Life and Death of Tamburlaine the Great. He also worked as film caricaturist on Punch from 1948 until 1960.
by Robert Stewart Sherriffs
ink, circa 1928-1936
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by Robert Stewart Sherriffs
ink and pencil, circa 1928-1936
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by Robert Stewart Sherriffs
ink and pencil, circa 1928-1936
NPG 5224(1)
by Robert Stewart Sherriffs
pen and ink, circa 1928-1936
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Frederick Edwin Smith, 1st Earl of Birkenhead
by Robert Stewart Sherriffs
pen and ink, 1929
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by Robert Stewart Sherriffs
ink and pencil, 1934
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by Robert Stewart Sherriffs
ink and pencil, 1934
NPG 5224(2)
by Robert Stewart Sherriffs
pen and ink, 1936
NPG 5224(7)
by Robert Stewart Sherriffs
ink, 1936
NPG 5224(8)
Victor Christian William Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire
by Robert Stewart Sherriffs
ink, 1926
NPG D18343
by Robert Stewart Sherriffs
pen and ink, 1927
NPG D44
by Robert Stewart Sherriffs
pen and ink and chalk, probably late 1920s
NPG D48
by Robert Stewart Sherriffs
pen and ink and wash, probably late 1920s
NPG D54
George Bernard Shaw; Edith Sitwell; Sir Osbert Sitwell; Sir Sacheverell Sitwell, 6th Bt
by Robert Stewart Sherriffs
ink, 1927-1930
NPG D4468
by Robert Stewart Sherriffs
ink and pencil, probably late 1920s
NPG D18337
by Robert Stewart Sherriffs
ink and wash, late 1920s
NPG D18339
(Richard Horatio) Edgar Wallace
by Robert Stewart Sherriffs
black ink, white paint and pencil, circa 1927
NPG D18341
David Richard Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty
by Robert Stewart Sherriffs
ink and crayon, probably late 1920s or early 1930s
NPG D18342
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johncruickshank
13 October 2019, 11:12
R S Sherriffs illustrated the four volumes of A Portrait of Britain (Oxfod at eh Clarendon press)- a school history textbook from the 1950s. Sherriffs did all the illustrations and maps - often using images from medieval texts such as the Luttrell Psalter. Inside the end covers are more artefacts and fashions associated with the period to which the book related. The whole four volumes is a tour de force of the art of black and white illustration. By the way as texts, they included photographs of buildings and furnishings and manuscripts to deepen the understanding. I knew these as my sisters' school used them though not mine and I have long loved the illustrations. I picked up all four volumes a couple of years ago in an Oxfam shop.
Brian Benjamin
09 July 2019, 13:47
Sherrifs also produced 12 brilliant illustrations for the Collins 1947 edition of The Rubaiyat.
Loren J MacGregor
08 July 2019, 20:44
In addition to Sherriffs' work as listed in your bio, you might consider his illustrations for the Rubaiyat, FitzGerald translation, as edited by George F. Main and published by the Collins Clear-Type Press (London; 1947). The bold line from his caricatures carries over to his color portraits, which are both vivid and evocative of a dream-like atmosphere well-suited to the fanciful flight of FitzGerald's language.
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, FitzGerald version as edited by George F. Main. Publisher: Collins Clear-Type Press; London; 1947
The twelve illustrations contained in one or more of the first five editions were printed in six colours by the offset process. These include the following.
First Edition
Illustrations to Quatrains 1, 27, 51 and 74 will be found facing pages 53, 66, 78 and 89.
Second Edition
Illustrations to Quatrains 19, 46, 57 and 73 will be found facing pages 102, 115, 121, and 129. The frontispiece illustrates Quatrain 71.
Fifth Edition
Illustrations to Quatrains 12. 34 and 70 will be found facing pages 156, 167 and 185.
Doug Harding
03 April 2019, 19:00
He illustrated one of my favourite children’s books - Captain Boldheart by Charles Dickens
Nigel Beale
07 April 2020, 13:27
He drew/painted a series of caricatures of British publishers for Punch magazine. I recently acquired 13 of them for my publishers' histories/memoirs collection