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Aubrey Beardsley: The Clown, the Harlequin, the Pierrot of His Age
280 pages, Hardcover
Published February 14, 2026
About the author
Haldane Macfall
178 books3 followersChambers Haldane Cooke Macfall (1860-1928) was an English military officer, an influential art critic, and a successful novelist.
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June 12, 2026
Aubrey Beardsley: the clown, the harlequin, the pierrot of his age by Haldane McFall was published in 1927, almost thirty years after the subject’s death from tuberculosis at the age of twenty-five. In his short life, the artist had become suddenly famous, and almost as precipitously dropped from the public esteem. His star was, for Haldane McFall, quite a long time in the making, burnt very bright while he enjoyed fame, and then even brighter when he fell from public taste.
Haldane McFall was twelve years old older than Beardsley. He had a very different life from the artist in that he was born in India, whereas Beardsley was a Brighton baby – true home counties British. Where is McFall follow the family line by opting for a military career and training as an officer, Beardsley was born into the family of a grandfather artisan, a jeweller, but made no attempt to keep any family tradition. His own father, Vincent, had no trade of his own, but did have a private income, ultimately derived from an inheritance from an Indian army surgeon who made money. Haldane McFall’s own father was a medic in the Indian army, and, though the author does not highlight this connection, one feels that somewhere in the text the commonality mattered.
The two men were acquaintances. The author was in Beardsley’s circle when the masterpieces were being drawn. Whether or not Haldane McFall offered his contemporary opinion on Beardsley’s work, we do not know. What we do have in the book – Haldane McFall’s last work - is almost an apology for a friend’s flawed genius. One feels that in the decades following Beardsley’s death, Haldane McFall had always wanted to settle his score with his friend’s memory but had neither the courage nor the motivation to do so. Finally, he did just that, and the resulting book is a compelling study of flawed genius
.
It has to be remembered that Beardsley was at one time closely associated with Oscar Wilde. One of Beardsley early projects was to illustrate Salome. When Wilde fell from public grace with his trial and conviction for homosexuality, Beardsley sought his distance. But eventually, Beardsley also fell foul of societies love-hate relationship with sex because some of the artist’s later drawings were judged pornographic, certainly two explicitly sexual ever to be published.
Haldane deals with Wilde’s conviction and Beardsley’s obsession with sex directly, proffering opinions that one would expect from a century ago. But what is clear in this book is Haldane’s respect for Beardsley’s short-lived genius.
The book is organized chronologically, so it is a biography of the artist as well as a critical study. The author shows real commitment to the artist work, which, even thirty years after his death, might have been problematic. The resulting clashes of personality make for a thoroughly engaging read. The author, convinced of Beardsley’s genius, remains fully aware of his shortcomings. The book brings both men back to life.
Haldane McFall was twelve years old older than Beardsley. He had a very different life from the artist in that he was born in India, whereas Beardsley was a Brighton baby – true home counties British. Where is McFall follow the family line by opting for a military career and training as an officer, Beardsley was born into the family of a grandfather artisan, a jeweller, but made no attempt to keep any family tradition. His own father, Vincent, had no trade of his own, but did have a private income, ultimately derived from an inheritance from an Indian army surgeon who made money. Haldane McFall’s own father was a medic in the Indian army, and, though the author does not highlight this connection, one feels that somewhere in the text the commonality mattered.
The two men were acquaintances. The author was in Beardsley’s circle when the masterpieces were being drawn. Whether or not Haldane McFall offered his contemporary opinion on Beardsley’s work, we do not know. What we do have in the book – Haldane McFall’s last work - is almost an apology for a friend’s flawed genius. One feels that in the decades following Beardsley’s death, Haldane McFall had always wanted to settle his score with his friend’s memory but had neither the courage nor the motivation to do so. Finally, he did just that, and the resulting book is a compelling study of flawed genius
.
It has to be remembered that Beardsley was at one time closely associated with Oscar Wilde. One of Beardsley early projects was to illustrate Salome. When Wilde fell from public grace with his trial and conviction for homosexuality, Beardsley sought his distance. But eventually, Beardsley also fell foul of societies love-hate relationship with sex because some of the artist’s later drawings were judged pornographic, certainly two explicitly sexual ever to be published.
Haldane deals with Wilde’s conviction and Beardsley’s obsession with sex directly, proffering opinions that one would expect from a century ago. But what is clear in this book is Haldane’s respect for Beardsley’s short-lived genius.
The book is organized chronologically, so it is a biography of the artist as well as a critical study. The author shows real commitment to the artist work, which, even thirty years after his death, might have been problematic. The resulting clashes of personality make for a thoroughly engaging read. The author, convinced of Beardsley’s genius, remains fully aware of his shortcomings. The book brings both men back to life.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review