Sir William Nicholson - London Types

LONDON TYPES Sir William Nicholson

goldmark

front cover:

Beef-eater, The Tower ORIGINAL LITHOGRAPHS £275 each £495 for any 2 (a saving of £55) £895 for any 4 (a saving of £205) Prices include frame, vat and uk delivery.

order on 01572 821424

SPECIFICATION The signed prints are woodcuts printed in 1898 from the original woodblocks, hand-coloured by the artist, trimmed to the border, mounted on card and signed in pen and ink on the card. The unsigned prints are lithographs made in 1898 from the original woodcuts. Image sizes are 25.5 x 23 cm.

LONDON TYPES William Nicholson was a noted printmaker and poster designer many years before his fame as a portrait painter. He studied in Paris in 1889 and was influenced by the street posters of Toulouse Lautrec and Jules Chéret. He received wide acclaim for his Jubilee woodcut of Queen Victoria (1897) which was described by the artist James Whistler as a wonderful portrait. It was upon Whistler’s recommendation that Nicholson received an important commission from the publisher William Heinemann to illustrate An Alphabet (1898). Almost immediately afterwards Heinemann asked Nicholson to produce a series of illustrations entitled London Types (1898).

For London Types Nicholson originally produced thirteen woodcuts of figures having such titles as Guardsman, Beef-eater, Coster and Flower Girl which were printed from the original woodblocks, hand-coloured by the artist and signed in ink on the card mounts. At the same time twelve of the images were also issued as coloured lithographs after the original woodcuts. James Whistler described the essence of Nicholson’s graphic work, . . . this art of leaving out is proof of the perfect acquaintance with the art of putting in. Mr. Nicholson states the few essential facts, and makes all else accessory.

Barmaid, Any Bar Original lithograph, 1898