Edwin Austin Abbey, who I first wrote about in 2006, was an American painter, illustrator and muralist who was active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Born here in Philadelphia, Abbey studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. He did a series of highly regarded murals and other artworks for the Pennsylvania state capitol, as well as a stunning 15 panel series for the Boston Public Library.
In his mid 20s, he moved to England at the request of a publisher to do research for a series of illustrations and remained there for the rest of hs life.
Abbey is renowned in particular for his paintings interpreting scenes from Shakespere plays, both in dramatic tableaux and portrayals of individual characters.
