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EDWIN AUSTIN ABBEY

1852 - 1911

BiographyThe best-known American illustrator of the late nineteenth century. Historic England was his favorite subject, and from a base in the publishing world with Harper and Brothers, Abbey illustrated many English classics, including a multi-volume edition of Shakespeare's plays. He was also a painter and muralist, again with a preference for English history as his subject matter.

In 1878 the published Harper sent Abbey to England to illustrate a book of poems by Robert Herrick. Selections form the Poetry of Robert Herrick (1881) was an artistic triumph for Abbey; critics hailed it as the best-illustrated book by an American publisher. This was followed by illustrations for a series of classics by Goldsmith, Marvell and Pope, for which Abbey provided scenes of seventeenth- and eighteenth century England. The drawings were always archaeologically and historically accurate; Abbey was highly precise with detail. In 1886, he began the Shakespeare illustrations, some of which appeared in Harper's.

(From curatorial binder)

Person TypeIndividual