General notes
22 designs for 16 etchings. Items are attached to paper, beneath some of the designs the resulting etching is also attached. Labels with act, scene and quotation are attached to most, apparently by the bookseller. Items are numbered but unsigned
Artist: Howard was the son of Henry Howard, R.A. He studied at the Royal Academy and was an assistant to Thomas Lawrence. He exhibited at the R.A. from 1825-1846, mostly poetical and Shakespearean subjects
History: Drawings are designed for etchings which appeared in Howard's work 'The spirit of the plays of Shakespeare, exhibited in a series of outline plates illustrative of the story of each play' London : T. Cadell, etc., 1833. Although the final 5 volume edition of this work is dated 1833, Howard was issuing plays separately as each was completed. A design for the Midsummer night's dream series was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1828 under the title 'Bottom and Titania, one of a series of designs illustrative of Shakespeare, publishing in outline, etc.' According to the DNB he began publishing the series in 1827 and completed in 1833. Folger copy of the published etchings is the 1833 edition in 5 volumes (PR 2883 H7). The published edition of the etchings contains 18 scenes from Midusmmer night's dream. This collection of drawings contains designs for 16 out of the 18 (there are no preliminary sketches for plates 3 and 4) plus three sketches which are not labeled and do not match any of the printed etchings
Items have been microfilmed on reel 2, Film Fo 2659
Provenance: The works were purchased by the Folgers from Maggs Bros., Aug 7, 1925 as representative of the works of John Flaxman (formerly ART Inventory 281 cs.1437)
Published Work: Howard, Frank. The spirit of the plays of Shakespeare ... 1833
Act and scene numbers in contents taken from dealer's labels (with the exception of no.44a-b which was determined by cataloger)
Contents
no.35a-b. Act 2, scene 3, Titania asleep -- no.36a-b. Act 2, scene 2, Titania and fairies -- no.37a-b. Act 3, scene 1, Bottom -- no.38a-b. Act 2, scene 2, Demetrius and Helena -- no.39. Very rough sketch of act 4, scene 1, Oberon awakening Titania -- no.40a-b. Same scene as no.39 but with more detail -- no.41. Act 2, scene 3, Helena and Lysander -- no.42. Act 2, scene 3, Lysander -- no.43a-b. Variations on scene from no.41 -- no.44a-b. Act 3, scene 1, Bottom's transformation -- no.45a-b. Act 3, scene 1, Bottom and Titania -- no.46a-b. Act 3, scene 2, Lysander and Helena -- no.47a-b. Act 3, scene 2, Hermia -- no.48a-b. Act 3, scene 2, Lysander -- no.49a-b. Act 4, scene 1, Bottom and fairies -- no.50a-b. Act 4, scene 1, Oberon, Titania and Bottom (asleep) -- no.51a-b. Act 4, scene 1, Egeus -- no.52a-b. Act 5, scene 1, Pyramus and Thisbe, Wall, Moonshine and Lion -- no.53a-b. Act 5, scene 2 -- no.54. Unidentified scene, 2 people in classical dress -- no.55. Unidentified scene, a man and a woman at a table -- no.56. Very rough unidentified pencil sketches
OPEN IN MIRADOR