Edwin Austin Abbey
American (1852-1911)
Edwin Austin Abbey, born in 1852 in Philadelphia, was a muralist, illustrator, and painter. He is best known for his drawings and paintings of Shakespearean and Victorian subjects, as well as for his painting of Edward VII’s coronation. Abbey studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art under Christian Schuessele. He began as an illustrator, producing numerous illustrations and sketches for such magazines as Harper’s Weekly and Scribner’s Magazine. He also illustrated several best-selling books, including Christmas Stories by Charles Dickens and a four-volume set of The Comedies of Shakespeare for Harper & Brothers. He moved to England in 1878, at the request of his employers, to gather material for illustrations of the poems of Robert Herrick and he settled in England permanently in 1883. In 1902 Abbey was appointed official court painter of coronation in Westminster Abbey.
Abbey’s work is in several important collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Royal Collection in London and the Tate Gallery.
