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Phil May in 1898 by Alexander Bassano
half-plate glass negative
© National Portrait Gallery, London |
Philip William May was a caricaturist. He was born near Leeds and was the son of an engineer who died when May was nine years old. May worked in a variety of jobs before moving to London, and shortly afterward to Australia, when he was seventeen. In Australia he found work with the Sydney Bulletin, and in just three years produced over 800 drawings for the Bulletin. On his return to London in 1892 May drew for the St Stephen's Review; his studies of the London guttersnipes and coster-girls rapidly made him famous. He became a regular member of the staff of Punch in 1896, and in his later years his services were retained exclusively for Punch and The Graphic.
For full biographical notes on Phil May, and for earlier works, see part 1 also.
This is part 2 of a 22-part series on the works of Phil May:
1893 Phil May's Illustrated Annual:
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| Front Cover |
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| Title Page |
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| ‘What's 'e done, Governor?" |
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| A Memory of the Pacific |
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| "That evening I strolled up George Street for a walk, and saw a great crowd at he Abbeys' shop. I stopped to stare with the rest of them." |
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| Pedestrian Wag: "Hallo, Kurnel!" |
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| "You Naughty Boy, You'll Fall Over." ( 1 ) |
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| "You Naughty Boy, You'll Fall Over." ( 2 ) |
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The Chicago Exhibition.
McPherson: "Four dollars for a bed! The extravagance of it! I canna sleep for thinking o't." |
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| A Plantation Dance. |
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Actor: "What did you think of my performance of the Ghost?"
Critic: "It was most life-like." |
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Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd 14 Marquess of Salisbury
pen and ink 24.8 x 15.9 cm
National Portrait Gallery, London |
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| ( Untitled ) |
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| ( Untitled ) |
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| ( Untitled ) |
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| ( Untitled ) |
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| Bound in Boards |
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| "Mos''stronary thing! a' most shertain th'was shome coffee in it." |
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| Scene - Restaurant in The Strand. |
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| "Keep your feet back, Bill, or e'll think e's in the shafts." |
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| The Squire's Daughter : ... |
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| Mrs. Willson-Blobbs ... |
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Types I have met.
In Melbourne. |
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| "Why, 'is 'ead's worth a quid by itself!" |
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| "Father, I've swallered a thoverign, and how am I to make the books balance? You t'hee, I'm a pound in a pound out." |
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| Barber ... |
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Types I have met.
In the Strand. |
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| Act 1. |
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Act 2.
The blind man: "Don't seem to be doing much business to-day !" |
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| Time, 2 A.M. |
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| A Bit of Newlyn. |
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Artistic Parlance.
Inhabitant : "Nice grey day, sir." |
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| Sketched at Newlyn. |
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Will Peters, the Norwegian Painter.
Sketched from life at Newlyn. |
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| Sketched at Newlyn. |
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| Sketched at Newlyn. |
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| A Newlyn Type. |
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| 'arry ... |
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| The Hon. Adolphus Byngo's Revenge. |
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"His enemies declared that he lived, so to speak,
on his eye." |
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Types I have Met.
An East End Preacher. |
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| The Savage Club |
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| Alone! |
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| Cabby. |
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| "Things we see when we come out without our gun." |
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| "Things we see when we come out without our gun." |
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| "Things we see when we come out without our gun." |
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| The Rev. Staggles: ... |
* * * * *
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1894 Profile of a Woman
graphite on ivory laid paper 17.8 x 10.4 cm
Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
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1894 Real Sympathy ...
chalk on tinted paper 19.7 x 14 cm |
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1894 Self-Portrait
silhouette on glass 14 x 9 cm
National Portrait Gallery, London |
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1894 What made you take up art as a profession?
pen and black ink with blue pencil on ivory wove paper
25.2 x 18.1 cm
Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
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1895 "Are you comin''ome?"
"I'll do ellythik you like in reasol, M'ria - (hic) - bur I won't come 'ome."
Punch magazine |
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1895 'Ow much is them grapes Mister ?...
pen and ink 20.3 x 14 cm |
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| 1895 Advertisemnet for The Swan Fountain Pen |
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1895 Art patron…
pen and ink 22.9 x 17.1 cm |
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1895 Australian Farmer being lectured by a wealthy banker
The Bulletin, Sydney 33 x 25.4 cm |
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1895 Ex Libris Phil May
woodcut 11 x 11.5 cm
Library of Congress, Washington DC |
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1895 Exhibition Invitation to the Fine Art Society,
148 New Bond Street
lithograph 12.4 x 16.7 cm
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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1895 Minister: Hoo ist Sandy I never see you at the Kirk the Noo?…
pen and ink 21.6 x 16.5 cm |
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1895 Pierrot
pen and black ink over traces of graphite on buff wove card 35.5 x 23.7 cm
Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
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1895 Please Mum. The Lady what washes the steps for that woman which lives opposite ses as you wants a girl
pen and ink 25.4 x 20.3 cm |
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1895 Sketch in Picardy
pen and black ink over traces of graphite, on ivory wove card 36.2 x 26.5 cm
Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
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1895 Standing at the bar
pen and ink 21.6 x 17.1 cm |
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1895 The Beggarstaffs, drawing of William Nicholson (left) and James Pryde.
The Studio 1895 |
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c1895 Sir Frank Brangwyn
chalk 28.7 x 21.7 cm
© National Portrait Gallery, London |
