Aubrey Vincent Beardsley

Sitterback to top

• Aubrey Vincent Beardsley (1872-1898), Illustrator. Sitter in 7 portraits.

Artistback to top

• Frederick Henry Evans (1852-1943). Artist of 13 portraits.

This portraitback to top

A friend and patron of Beardsley, Evans was responsible for obtaining some of his earliest commissions for book illustrations. When this photograph was taken in the summer of 1894, Beardsley was already dying of tuberculosis. He was busy working on illustrations to Wagner's Tannhauser, but was so weak that he spent much of his time sitting about moping. The photograph captures this aspect of him - with his long, thin fingers, his watery eyes and his fine profile, described by Oscar Wilde as like 'a silver hatchet'. Beardsley was delighted with the result and wrote to Evans on 20 August 1894: 'I think the photos are splendid; couldn't be better'.

Related worksback to top

• NPG P115: Aubrey Vincent Beardsley (variant)

Linked publicationsback to top

• Victorian Portraits Resource Pack, p. 31
• Funnell, Peter, Victorian Portraits in the National Portrait Gallery Collection, 1996, p. 31
• Funnell, Peter (introduction); Marsh, Jan, A Guide to Victorian and Edwardian Portraits, 2011, p. 8
• Rogers, Malcolm, Camera Portraits, 1989 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 20 October 1989 - 21 January 1990), p. 141
• Saumarez Smith, Charles, The National Portrait Gallery: An Illustrated Guide, 2000, p. 162
• Saumarez Smith, Charles, The National Portrait Gallery, 1997, p. 162
• Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 41