Aubrey Beardsley

 Happy Birthday Aubrey Beardsley!! The English illustrator was born in 1872 on this day. He was an artist from the Art Nouveau style and his black and white drawings are perfect representations of that flavor. He contracted tuberculosis at age seven and that may have led him to explore his talents in the arts. He played piano before the age of five. Beardsley first earned fame with his illustrations of Salome by Oscar Wilde. His work in finely executed with vast blank areas contrasted with inky black. He co-founded The Yellow Book, a quarterly literary journal, with Henry Harland from 1894-97, of which he was the art editor. Sadly, Beardsley died at the young age of 25 from complications from tuberculosis. He left behind countless drawings and illustrations. The Peacock Skirt, from Salome is shown below.