About this artwork
Phil May, a friend of Roussel and a member of the Chelsea Arts Club, contributed caricatures of actors, artists, and writers to London periodicals. The bold style and sharp wit of his drawings attracted a wide following, and his illustrations were also published in book form. This caricature of Wilde and Whistler was reproduced in Phil May’s Sketch-book, which was first issued in 1895. The caption refers to Whistler’s repeated assertions that Wilde plagiarized his ideas, accusations that ended their guardedly amicable relationship in 1890.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Prints and Drawings
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Artist
- Philip William May
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Title
- Oscar Wilde and Whistler
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Place
- England (Artist's nationality:)
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Date
- 1894
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Medium
- Pen and black ink, with black crayon and touches of blue crayon, on ivory laminate board
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Inscriptions
- Signed recto, upper right, in black ink: "Phil May / 94;" inscribed recto, at bottom, in black ink and graphite: " 'That was an awfully [witty remark] good joke you made last/ night. I wish I [had made it.] could say it was mine.' / 'You will [underlined] my boy. You will [underlined].';" inscribed and erased, lower right, in graphite: "Same size underlined]"
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Dimensions
- Sheet: 35.4 × 25.5 cm (13 15/16 × 10 1/16 in.)
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Credit Line
- Gift of Walter S. Brewster
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Reference Number
- 1933.238
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/14393/manifest.json
Extended information about this artwork
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