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A was an Artist
Nicholson, William Newzam Prior, 1898, Wood cut
A was an Artist
A was an Artist
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Location
Category
Library Item
Item no
23646
Title
A was an Artist
Description
A man wearing a waistcoat, trousers and a scarf around his neck, sits sideways on to the viewer. He is seated on the ground and his legs are folded at the knee. On the ground and resting on the wall beside him are two more drawings from this same series of alphabet prints, 'P' and 'D'.
Reproduced by kind permission of (c) Desmond Banks.
Artist / maker
Nicholson, William Newzam Prior
Date
1898
Size
24.5 x 19.5 cm
Type
Wood cut
Location
Art and Design Library
'An Alphabet', a series of woodcut prints, was executed by William Nicholson in 1897 and published in 1898. The first image in the series of alphabet illustrations is in fact, a self portrait of the artist. At the age of 25, Nicholson self-deprecatingly said he 'was an Artist'. Of the series, A and D were the pieces submitted for approval by William Heinemann. Each woodblock was valued at £5, and 6p for each of the impressions which were hand-coloured.
Along with a woodcut of Queen Victoria made in 1897, 'An Alphabet' served to establish Nicholson's public reputation as an artist. He went on, after 1900, to concentrate on portrait and landscape painting, but his work as a printmaker continues to be highly regarded.
Exhibitions with this item
An Alphabet by William Nicholson
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Related subjects
Clothing and dress
>
Accessories
>
Scarves
Clothing and dress
>
Garments
>
Waistcoats
People
>
Adults
>
Men
People
>
Entertainment and sports
>
Artists
Sport and leisure
>
Activities
>
Sitting
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