Max Beerbohm 1896

Charles Haslewood Shannon made this pencil on paper drawing of Max Beerbohm. The drawing is a window into the world of artistic and literary circles in Britain at the turn of the twentieth century. Shannon, himself a painter and printmaker, was part of an artistic milieu that included figures like Beerbohm, an essayist, parodist, and caricaturist. The visual codes in the image tell us a great deal about the sitter. Beerbohm is wearing the uniform of the upper class. He is captured in a moment of poised contemplation. The drawing is of interest to social historians because it captures the spirit of a particular time and place. The drawing is a reminder of the close relationship between art and society. Detailed biographies of the artist and sitter, as well as historical accounts of the art world in London, would help us understand it better. These resources reveal the social and institutional contexts that shaped the creation and reception of art.