Wallace Hester Explained

Robert Wallace Hester (1866-1942) was a British artist, engraver, and caricaturist who made witty illustrations of famous people for Vanity Fair.^{[1] [2] [3]} He used the abbreviations and pseudonyms 'W. Hester', 'Hester', 'WH' and 'WH-'.^[4]

Wallace's father Edward Gilbert Hester (d. 1903) was an engraver who worked in Chiswick, exhibiting at the Royal Academy from 1882 onwards. Edward taught Wallace the art of engraving. Wallace exhibited his work at the Salon des Artistes Français in Paris from 1905.^[5]

As well as caricatures, Hester made engravings of school buildings.^[6]

Collections

• National Portrait Gallery (54 portraits)
• National Trust (2 paintings)

Notes and References

1. Book: Matthews. Roy T. . Mellini . Peter. In "Vanity Fair". 1982 . University of California Press. 978-0-85967-597-0. 250–.
2. Web site: Hester, Wallace . Classic Books and Ephemera. 8 December 2016.
3. Web site: Robert Wallace Hester . AllPosters. 8 December 2016.
4. Web site: (Richard) Wallace Hester ('W. Hester', 'Hester', 'WH' and 'WH-') . National Portrait Gallery, London . 8 December 2016.
5. Book: Benezit Dictionary of British Graphic Artists and Illustrators . 2012 . Oxford University Press . 978-0-19-992305-2 . 548–.
6. Web site: Radley College etching. Bonhams.