Sir William Nicholson

William Nicholson (1872 – 1949) was born in Newark-on-Trent in Nottinghamshire. He was a portrait, landscape and still life painter, as well as a gifted graphic artist. In the 1890s Nicholson worked with the artist James Ferrier Pryde, under the name J. & W. Beggarstaff, on a series of posters characterised by strong outline and simplified, flattened forms. The posters were innovative and Nicholson continued to develop his graphic style over the next few years. His jubilee woodcut of Queen Victoria in 1897 was a high point of his early career. Although portraits became his principal source of income, Nicholson’s landscapes and still lifes are among his most original work. He was particularly drawn to the downlands of southern England and his starkly beautiful images of the British landscape find a counterpart in the quiet introspection of many of his still lifes. Nicholson also designed sets and costumes for theatrical productions and he wrote and illustrated a number of books for children.

Geoffrey Prendergast 2014