Shylock, Bassano, and Antonio: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Felix Darley produced many drawings for his series of Shakespearean illustrations, which were published as photogravures by J. M. Stoddardt in New York and Philadelphia. This signed drawing, in pencil with touches of white to heighten contrast, shows three characters from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice. The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D. C., has a similar illustration.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 19th century
• original artist: Darley, Felix Octavius Carr
• Object Name: drawing
• Physical Description: graphite (overall material)
• Physical Description: white paint (overall material)
• Physical Description: paper (overall material)
• Measurements: sheet: 46 cm x 30.5 cm; 18 1/8 in x 12 in
• Subject: Theater
• ID Number: GA.16634
• catalog number: 16634
• accession number: 119780
• Credit Line: Mrs. J. L. Gerome Ferris
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.