Two small imps emerge from inside a woman’s left ear, as she holds up her hand just below them.
Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College

This black ink drawing shows a woman, visible from the shoulders up, with black hair wearing a white tunic. She holds up her left hand as two small imp-like creatures with black claws and waist bands emerge from inside her left ear and float away. She glances in their direction, her mouth slightly open, with an expression of slight surprise.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1942.122
People
Aubrey Vincent Beardsley, British (Brighton, England 1872 - 1898 Menton, France)
Title
The Birth of Fancy
Other Titles
Alternate Title: Vignette Design for "Bon Mots"
Classification
Drawings
Work Type
drawing
Date
1892
Culture
British
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/298094

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Black ink and graphite on white paper
Dimensions
10 x 8.2 cm (3 15/16 x 3 1/4 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Gift of Grenville L. Winthrop, Class of 1886

State, Edition, Standard Reference Number

Standard Reference Number
Zatlin 748

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Grenville L. Winthrop, Class of 1886
Accession Year
1942
Object Number
1942.122
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Publication History

  • Linda Gertner Zatlin, Aubrey Beardsley: A Catalogue Raisonné, Yale University Press (U.S.) (New Haven and London, 2016), vol. 1, no. 748, p. 451, repr. p. 451

Exhibition History

  • 32Q: 2100 19th Century, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/17/2016 - 11/01/2017

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu