Twelfth night; Headings (1900)

Byam Shaw prints carry the Pre-Raphaelite tradition into the twentieth century. Shaw was a British painter, illustrator and teacher who loved poetry, pageantry and rich detail, and his pen drawings for the Chiswick Shakespeare are among the finest of their time. Our collection of fine art prints includes his Shakespeare drawings, the Sonnets and Poems, ballad and Poe illustrations, and paintings such as The Boer War 1900 and The Queen of Hearts.

About Byam Shaw

John Byam Liston Shaw, known as Byam Shaw, was born in Madras, India, on 13 November 1872. His family moved to London, and he trained at the St John's Wood Art School from 1887 and the Royal Academy Schools from 1890.

He worked in the late Pre-Raphaelite tradition and took many of his subjects from the poems of Dante Gabriel Rossetti. His illustrations for the Chiswick Shakespeare, published by George Bell & Sons in 39 volumes from 1899 to 1902, made his name as an illustrator.

In 1910 he co-founded the Byam Shaw School of Art in London, where he taught a new generation of artists. He died in London on 26 January 1919, aged 46.

Style and Subjects

Shaw's paintings are bright, detailed and full of pattern, with jewel-like colour in the Pre-Raphaelite manner. He loved costume, flowers and symbolic objects, and his pictures often carry a moral or poetic message, as in The Woman, the Man and the Serpent.

His Shakespeare drawings are crisp black pen work, with strong outlines, decorative borders and dramatic moments: Hamlet in the graveyard, Lear crying "Ay, every inch a king", Lady Macbeth sleepwalking, the fairies of Windsor. They have the clarity of a woodcut and the drama of a stage.

Famous Works

• The Boer War 1900 (Last Summer Things Were Greener) (1901), Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. A woman in mourning on a riverbank in high summer.
• The Queen of Hearts. A playing card turned into a royal pageant.
• The Woman, the Man and the Serpent (1911). A symbolic painting of temptation.
• King Lear: Ay, Every Inch a King (1900). Lear on the heath, from the Chiswick Shakespeare.
• The Winter's Tale: Time as Chorus (1900). Time, with his hourglass, turns the play forward.
• The Merry Wives of Windsor: They Are Fairies (1900). Children dressed as fairies in Windsor Forest.
• The Gaberlunzie Man. An illustration for the old Scottish ballad.
• The Black Cat (1909). His illustration for Poe's Selected Tales of Mystery.

Decorating with Shaw Prints

Byam Shaw's Shakespeare drawings suit a library, study, reading nook or home theatre. A row of scenes from one play, or a favourite scene from several, makes a striking set in thin black frames with white mounts.

His colourful paintings, such as The Queen of Hearts, bring Pre-Raphaelite richness to a living room, dining room or bedroom, and look best in gilt frames. The Black Cat is a playful choice for a hallway or a lover of Poe.

FAQ

Who was Byam Shaw?

Byam Shaw (1872–1919) was a British painter, illustrator, designer and teacher, born in Madras, who worked in the late Pre-Raphaelite tradition.

What is the Chiswick Shakespeare?

An edition of Shakespeare published by George Bell & Sons in 39 volumes from 1899 to 1902, with pen illustrations by Byam Shaw.

Was Byam Shaw a Pre-Raphaelite?

He belonged to the late Pre-Raphaelite tradition and took many subjects from the poems of Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

Where can I see Byam Shaw's paintings?

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery holds The Boer War 1900, the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery in Bournemouth holds Jezebel, and the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool holds Love's Baubles.

What is the Byam Shaw School of Art?

An art school in London that he co-founded in 1910.

Related Artists

• Dante Gabriel Rossetti: the Pre-Raphaelite poet-painter whose poems inspired him
• John Everett Millais: founding Pre-Raphaelite painter
• John William Waterhouse: late Pre-Raphaelite painter of the same years
• Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale: painter and illustrator who taught at his school