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how it began
British painters James Pryde (1866–1941) and William Nicholson (1872–1949) were brothers-in-law who had been close friends since art school. Respected academic painters, they decided to open an advertising design studio in 1894 and felt it necessary to adopt pseudonyms to protect their reputations as artists. One of them found a sack of corn in a stable labeled “the Beggarstaff Brothers,” and they adopted the name, dropping the “Brothers.” -
the coachman
The Beggarstaffs, unused poster design now known as “The Coachman,” 1896. It was not uncommon during the 1890s to design posters that could become advertisements simply by inserting the client’s name. -
Poster for Don Quixote
The Beggarstaffs, poster for Don Quixote, 1896. Cut paper shapes produce a graphic image whose simplicity and technique were ahead of their time. Although the Beggarstaffs were simply paid for their work, the poster was never used. -
Poster for Robespierre
The Beggarstaffs, poster for Robespierre, 1896. As with the design for Don Quixote the actor Sir Henry Irving was not pleased with his image and rejected the poster. -
Illustration from An Alphabet
. William Nicholson, illustration from An Alphabet, 1897. The reductive simplicity of Beggarstaff posters is maintained. -
The Gaiety Girl
Dudley Hardy, theatrical poster for The Gaiety Girl, 1898. The actor and play title stand out dramatically against the red background.