W.S. Burton, Self-Portrait

William Shakespeare Burton (1824-1916) made his mark primarily as a painter, but did a few illustrations as well. His best-known ones are the four he did for Once a Week in 1864. He also provided eighteen rather pedestrian illustrations for his wife's book Annabel published in 1889. Gregory Suriano, commenting on the engravings for Once a Week, stated: "Their approach recalls the stylized, thick, even-lined drawings of the Dürer emulators (Sandys, Poynter), albeit with looser linework in the manner of Charles Keene. His large, sculptural, simplified figures are similar to those of John D. Watson and John Lawson at their least detailed. Of Burton's four 1864 compositions, the most Pre-Raphaelite is the Romaunt of the Rose" (249). — Dennis T. Lanigan

Biographical Material

Illustrations

Work in Other Media

Bibliography

Suriano, Gregory R. The Pre-Raphaelite Illustrators London: The Oak Knoll Press, 2000.


Created 17 June 2024