Art Institute of Chicago

Edgar

John Hamilton Mortimer

Date

May 20, 1775; published 1809

Medium

Etching on cream wove paper

Culture

England

Department

Prints and Drawings

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

John Hamilton Mortimer’s Twelve Heads series of etchings depicting Shakespearian characters exemplifies the subjects’ heightened thought and passion. Three of the Heads include Caliban, a loyal but unruly savage from The Tempest ; Edgar, the son of Gloucester who feigns madness in King Lear ; and the poet played by Theseus in A Midsummer Night’s Dream . Their intense expressions and the oval cropping draw the viewer’s focus into the theatrical action that the prints reference. The accompanying excerpts tie the characters to a particular scene from their respective plays, blending written and visual art.

The authoritative record is held by Art Institute of Chicago. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.