Artwork
H Beard Print Collection
H Beard Print Collection is a print by the Impressionist artist The Illustrated London News. It dates from 1854 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
The work is a printed illustration titled “H Beard Print Collection.” Executed as a single sheet, it reproduces a theatrical scene featuring Faust and Marguerite as staged at the Princess’ Theatre. The image originally appeared as a cut from an issue of The Illustrated London News, serving as a visual record of the production.
Subject & Meaning
The illustration captures a pivotal moment from the opera‑drama Faust, focusing on the interaction between the titular scholar and his beloved Marguerite. By depicting the characters onstage, the print conveys the emotional intensity of the narrative and offers contemporary viewers a glimpse of 19th‑century theatrical staging and costume design.
Technique & Style
Created through a printmaking process typical of newspaper illustration in the Victorian era, the image relies on line work and stippling to render figures, architecture, and lighting effects. The monochrome palette and crisp contours reflect the constraints of mass‑production printing while preserving sufficient detail to identify actors and set elements.
History & Provenance
The illustration was first published in The Illustrated London News, a leading periodical that documented cultural events across Britain. It later entered the H Beard Print Collection, a private assemblage of printed ephemera, where it remains catalogued as a representative example of theatrical reportage from the period.
Artist & collection
Artist
The Illustrated London News, founded by Herbert Ingram and first published on Saturday 14 May 1842, was the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine.
