[Illustrations to Shakespeare - small rectangle series]: [graphic] /: [John Wright].

Collection title devised by cataloger.
All of the items except for those bound in ART Vol. d98 have been removed from their former mats or backings. ART Vol. d98 no.1, 4, 5, 10, 17, 18 have brown ink labels and a brown ink signature on the verso of the backing in the same manner as the labeling for the 'Illustrations to Shakespeare - group scenes' by Wright in the FSL collection. ART Box W951 no.72, 73, and 74 have similar labels which were retained when they were removed from their backings, trimmed and enclosed in mylar along with the drawings themselves. The backing of ART Vol. d98 no.5 bears a Whatman's watermark with the date 1831. All of the items are highly finished watercolors, with the coloring bleeding off the edge of the paper on which they are painted. They all measure approximately 5 x 6 in. and none are signed.
Artist: Artist identification is taken from pencil or ink notes on some of the item backings or versos and from booksellers.
History: This set of watercolors appears to have been done as a series to illustrate all of Shakespeare's plays. Drawings were probably executed around the same time period and may have been done for a commission or as illustrations to an edition of Shakespeare's works though there is no evidence of publication. Though not all of Shakespeare's plays are illustrated here, this series may link up to a set of watercolors by Wright at the Huntington Library which are contained in the Turner extra-illustrated Shakespeare and listed in Robert Wark's catalog of the extra illustrations ('Drawings from the Turner Shakespeare', published 1973). The drawings are tied together here mainly because they measure the same size and because the subjects illustrated by the Huntington drawings seem to compliment and supplement the ones in the FSL collection. Cataloger unable to compare the Huntington drawings with the Folger collection, however, other drawings by Wright in the Turner Shakespeare, which are reproduced in Wark's catalog, are directly related to Wright drawings in the FSL. Several of the small rectangle series items are similar in design to other items by Wright, executed in different manners, in the FSL collection (see notes for details).
Provenance: ART Box W951 no.73-77, 79-83, 85 & 95 were formerly part of ART Inventory 289 (no.11,18,52.5,60,69,77,79,84,92,95,100,115), see record under Wright for 'Masquerade' for provenance information. ART Box W951 no.83-87 were formerly part of ART Inventory 286 (no.1,19,24) see entry under Wright for 'Comedy and tragedy' for provenance information. ART Box W951 no.78 and 92-93 were purchased by the Folgers from E. Parsons & Sons in Spring of 1927 (Cs. 1683). These three items were formerly cataloged, mistakenly, as the work of George Cruikshank. ART Box W951 no.88 was purchased from Maggs Bros., Feb., 1925 (Cs. 1383). ART Box W951 no.89,90 were also purchased from Maggs, March, 1926 (Cs. 1521). ART Box W951 no.91,94 were purchased from Parsons in Feb., 1927 (Cs. 1651). ART Vol. d98 no.1,4,5,17,18 are part of a bound volume, for provenance information see entry for 'Atkinson, John Augustus. Scenes from King Henry V.
Subject: The following plays are illustrated: Comedy of errors - Act IV, Sc. 4 (ART Box W951 no.73) ; Taming of the shrew - Act IV, Sc. 3 & Act III, Sc. 2 no.74,88) ; Macbeth - Act III, Sc. 4 (no.75) ; Othello (no.76) ; Merry wives - Act IV, Sc. 2 & Act III, Sc. 3 (no.77,78 [duplicates] & no.93) ; Antony and Cleopatra - Act IV, Sc. 15 & Act III, Sc. 13 (no.79,84) ; Timon of Athens (no.80) ; Merchant of Venice (no.81) ; Julius Caesar (no.82) ; Coriolanus - Unlabeled scene and Act IV, Sc. 5 (no.83,87) ; Hamlet - Act III, Sc. 4 & Act V, Sc. 1 (no.85 and ART Vol. d98 no.1) ; Two gentlemen of Verona - Act V, Sc. 3 & unlabeled scene (no.86,91) ; Henry VIII (no.89) ; Troilus and Cressida (no.90) ; Henry IV, pt. 1 - Act II, Sc. 2 (no.92) ; All's well - Act III, Sc. 5 (ART Vol. d98 no.10) ; As you like it - Act IV, Sc. 3 & Act I, Sc. 2 (ART Vol. d98 no.4,5) ; Henry VI, pt. 3 - Act I, Sc. 3 & Act III, Sc. 2 (ART Vol. d98 no.17,18) ; Romeo and Juliet (ART Box W951 no.94) ; King John - Act I, Sc. 1 (no.95). Play, act and scene division taken, when available, from labels on items.

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Drawings (visual works)

Item Details

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ART Box W951 no.73 (size XS)

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ART Box W951 no.74 (size XS)

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ART Box W951 no.75 (size XS)

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ART Box W951 no.76 (size XS)

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ART Box W951 no.77 (size XS)

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ART Box W951 no.78 (size XS)

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ART Box W951 no.79 (size XS)

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ART Box W951 no.80 (size XS)

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ART Box W951 no.81 (size XS)

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ART Box W951 no.82 (size XS)

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ART Box W951 no.83 (size XS)

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ART Box W951 no.84 (size XS)

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ART Box W951 no.85 (size XS)

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ART Box W951 no.86 (size XS)

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ART Box W951 no.87 (size XS)

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ART Box W951 no.88 (size XS)

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ART Box W951 no.89 (size XS)

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ART Box W951 no.90 (size XS)

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ART Box W951 no.91 (size XS)

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ART Box W951 no.92 (size XS)

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ART Box W951 no.93 (size XS)

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ART Box W951 no.94 (size XS)

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ART Box W951 no.95 (size XS)

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ART Vol. d98 no.1,4,5,10,17,18

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