William/James Nicholson/Pryde- cheap prints & posters

Biography

Sir William Nicholson (English) 1872 – 1949

James Pryde (Scottish) 1866 – 1941

Under the pseudonym “The Beggarstaffs,” Sir William Nicholson and James Pryde virtually created the modern poster, with clear outlines and large areas of flat color. They were perhaps the most influential graphic designers of their time.William Nicholson was born in Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire. He studied at Hubert von Herkomer's Art School in Bushey, Hertfordshire from which he was expelled, and later in Paris at the Académie Julian. With his brother-in-law, James Pryde, a formed a partnership under the name J & W Beggarstaff and produced poster designs of a startling boldness and simplicity. When this enterprise failed he turned to woodcuts in color, many published by Heinemann. He also produced a number of illustrations for children's' books including “The Velveteen Rabbit” and “Clever Bill.”William Nicholson’s woodblock prints of the 1890’s were among the most revolutionary British print images of the era. Nicholson and Pryde used a treatment of form with a stylized simplication of shape, and a handling of perspective and picture space, which had had no precedent in British art. Influences of Japanese art and a parallel thinking to the ideas of Toulouse Lautrec and of the Nabis painters in Paris during the same time period can certainly be felt., although there is no record that Nicholson had actually studied either at this date. Nicholson soon became known for his skill and innovation in the medium, elevating the art form to a high level of success, both aesthetically and commercially. In 1897, Nicholson produced his most celebrated portrait, “Queen Victoria” which became one of the most famous British prints ever made. He was knighted in 1936.