Songs of Shakespeare, Illustrated by the Etching Club

Art Historical Context

Step into the romantic world of Victorian Britain with *Songs of Shakespeare, Illustrated the Etching Club* (1843), a exquisite collaborative book that pairs William Shakespeare's lyrical songs with original etchings by a stellar group of artists. Published during a surge of Shakespearean enthusiasm in 19th-century England, volume features verses from plays like *The Tempest* and *As You It*, brought to life through delicate illustrations by luminaries such as Samuel Palmer, Richard Redgrave and John Callcott Horsley. Housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, this 14 15/16 x 11 1/4-inch book exemplifies the era's blend of literature and visual art. The Etching Club, founded in the 1840s by British painters seeking to revive etching as a creative medium rather than mere reproduction, spearheaded this project. Etching—where acid etches intricate lines into a metal plate for inked impressions—allowed each artist to infuse personal Romantic and Pre-Raphaelite influences, capturing pastoral scenes, fanciful characters, and emotional depth. Contributors like Thomas Creswick and Frank Stone highlighted nature's poetry, mirroring Shakespeare's themes. This work's cultural significance lies in its democratic art-making: affordable prints made high art accessible, fueling the Victorian obsession with the Bard. A treasure from The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, it invites us to savor how etching's fine lines immortalized Shakespeare's timeless songs.

About the Artist

William Shakespeare|John Callcott Horsley|Charles Stonhouse|Thomas Webster|Thomas Creswick|Henry James Townsend|Richard Redgrave|(John) Frederick Tayler|Charles West Cope|Frank Stone|Richard Ansdell|Samuel Palmer|James Clarke Hook|John Bell|Gad & Keningale|John Prescott Knight (British|British|British|British) · 1840 |1831 |1564 |1564 –1877 |1912 |1616 |1616

British, active 1840–77|British, London 1831–1912 London|British, Stratford-upon-Avon 1564–1616 Stratford-upon-Avon|British, Stratford-upon-Avon 1564–1616 Stratford-upon-Avon