Dudley Hardy

Born Sheffield, Yorks, 15 Jan 1867; died London, 11 Aug 1922.

English painter and illustrator. He studied with his father, T. B. Hardy (1842–97), and later at the Academy in Düsseldorf, in Antwerp and in Paris before returning to London. He was a prolific artist, exhibiting regularly at the Royal Academy from 1884 until 1922. His oils vary from oriental to Breton genre scenes. Other paintings bear a social message, such as Sans Asile (1888), depicting huddled figures sleeping in Trafalgar Square; this work was shown at the Royal Society of British Artists Galleries in London in 1893 (after exhibition in other European cities) and established his reputation. However, it was Hardy’s graphic art that made his name. His talents coincided with the boom in illustrated magazines and the power of the poster at the turn of the century. The influence of French graphic style is seen in his fluent line and use of tone, and artists such as Jules Chéret influenced the Gaiety Girl series of posters of the 1890s. The most famous image is the Yellow Girl, which Hardy created to advertise the magazine Today. He designed many posters for the Savoy Theatre, including those for the D’Oyly Carte operas. There is a collection of his posters at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Sarah Wimbush. "Hardy, Dudley." In Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online, http://www.oxfordartonline.com.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/subscriber/article/grove/art/T036656 (accessed May 2, 2012).