2-819-563 - Shirley Markham Collection/Heritage Images

Aubrey Beardsley, c1893. Portrait of British artist and eccentric Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898), a leading figure in the aesthetic movement. Beardsley was diagnosed with tuberculosis at the age of seven, and between 1893 and 1898, he produced well over a thousand drawings. His decadent and erotic subject matter was frequently shocking and even pornographic. Some of his more extreme material was published privately, and only available to subscribers. Technological innovations in printing enabled his often intricate designs to be faithfully reproduced. Beardsley collaborated with Oscar Wilde, producing drawings for Wilde's play "Salome", and he co-founded "The Studio" and "The Savoy" magazines. He also made caricatures and political cartoons. His brilliant career was cut short when he died of TB aged 25. From "The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A. Walker, [The Bodley Head, London, 1948]