About the Art

American painter William Holbrook Beard (1825-1900) specialized in satirically depicting businessmen, scientists and politicians as animals. A self-taught painter, Beard’s was a prolific artist of invention and originality. His witty mockery of animals succumbing to human foibles, most often drunkenness and infidelity, were met with acclaim. This was not true of the conservative organizations, who were outraged by his representations but largely because they were often the butts of his ridicule. Although his artistic skills were modest, Beard’s work was a vogue sensation in his day.