THE NINETEENT H CENTURY
P HI L M AY Philip William May, RI RP NEAC (1864-1903) Sometimes referred to as the ‘grandfather of British illustration’, Phil May was one of the most influential black-and-white artists of his generation. Earthy, street-wise, and redolent of the music hall, his work is the antithesis of that of Aubrey Beardsley. For a biography of Phil May, please refer to The Illustrators, 2009, page 38. For a caricature of the artist by E T Reed, see The Illustrators, 1999, page 46; for a photograph of the artist, see The Illustrators, 1992, page 70; for self-portraits, see The Illustrators, 1991, page 52, and 1999, page 60. Key works illustrated: William Allison, ‘The Parson and the Painter’ (serialised in St Stephen’s Review, 1890); Phil May Annual (1892-1904); contributed to Punch (from 1893), Guttersnipes (1896) His work is represented in numerous public collections, including the British Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate and the V&A; Leeds Art Gallery; the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; and the National Library of Australia (Canberra).
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Further reading: David Cuppleditch, Phil May. The Artist and His Wit, London: Fortune Press, 1981; Simon Houfe, ‘May, Philip William [Phil] (1864-1903)’, H C G Matthew and Brian Harrison (eds), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, vol 37, pages 556-558; Simon Houfe, Phil May. His Life and Work, 1864-1903, Aldershot: Ashgate, 2002; James Thorpe, Phil May, London: Art and Technics, 1948
Work by Phil May in the M W Ingram Collection Michael Ingram was great grandson of Herbert Ingram (1811-1860), the founder of The Illustrated London News. A collector of drawings and watercolours, he inherited part of the significant collection of his uncle, Sir Bruce Ingram (1877-1963) and, it would seem, the Phil Mays owned by his grandfather, Sir William Ingram (1847-1924). Sir William Ingram was not only Managing Director of The Illustrated London News, but also one of the founders, in 1893, of The Sketch, which frequently commissioned work from Phil May. In 1914, he placed over five thousand original drawings at the disposal of the department of Engraving, Illustration and Design at the Victoria and Albert Museum, in order for it to make a choice. However, many of the Phil Mays must have been retained by the family. Many thanks to Simon Houfe for help in compiling this note.
39 EASTER MONDAY ’ ARRY: ' DO YOU PASS ANY PUBS ON THE WAY TO BROADSTAIRS , CABBY ?' CABBY: ' YES , LOTS ' ’ ARRY: ' WELL DON ' T !' signed and dated 98 inscribed with title and part of caption, and stamped with M W Ingram Collection mark below mount pen and ink 7 1⁄2 x 5 1⁄4 inches Provenance: M W Ingram Illustrated: Punch, 6 April 1898, page 171 Literature: R E Williams (ed), A Century of Punch, London: William Heinemann, 1956, page 198