The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
Abbey, Edwin Austin
1852–1911, American illustrator and painter, b. Philadelphia, studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Employed by Harper & Brothers, he was sent to England, where he gathered materials for his illustration of Herrick’s poems and other works. His illustration of Shakespeare is usually considered his best work. The Quest of the Holy Grail (a series of wall panels in the Boston Public Library) is perhaps his most famous painting. He was official painter of the coronation of Edward VII.
