Skip to main content

William Sharp Art

1900-1961

William Sharp was born on June 13, 1900, in Lemberg, Austria, where he attended college and the Academy for Arts and Industry. He later studied in Kraków, Poland, Berlin and Munich. Sharp began his career as a designer of stained-glass windows and as a painter of murals. He served in the German army during World War I. After the war, he became a newspaper artist in Berlin and a well-known etcher. Sharp drew political cartoons that were bitterly critical of the growing Nazi movement. As the influence of National Socialism intensified, he began to contribute drawings, under a pseudonym, to publications that were hostile to Hitler. After Hitler assumed power, Sharp was confronted with these drawings and told that he would be sent to a concentration camp. However, in 1934, he escaped to the United States. His first newspaper assignment in America was making courtroom sketches for The New York Mirror at the trial of Bruno R. Hauptmann for the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby. As a staff artist at Esquire, where he continued to produce political cartoons, Sharp also illustrated stories by Ernest Hemingway and Thomas Mann. He was a longtime contributor to The New York Times magazine and also worked for LIFE magazine, Collier's magazine, Coronet and The New York Post. Sharp also did book illustrations for several leading publishers, with Dickens’s, The Old Curiosity Shop for Heritage Press being his first assignment. He illustrated several books for limited editions, including The Diary of Samuel Pepys in 10 volumes. Sharp published several portfolios of etchings and lithographs about the legal and medical professions. Sharp's precisionist work is represented in many museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Queens Museum, the Library of Congress, the Carnegie Institute and the New York Public Library. William Sharp died in New York City on April 1, 1961.

2
to
6
2
4
3
4
4
5
2
1
Overall Height
to
Overall Width
to
2
1
1
6
3
3
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
3
5
1
8
6,845
3,159
2,517
1,217
4
2
2
2
2
Artist: William Sharp
William Sharp Court Room Scene Lithograph, Signed & Framed , a Pair
By William Sharp
Located in Plainview, NY
A pair of William Alexander Sharp ( American, 1900 - 1961) lithographs , created circa 1940's , portraying a court scene. One lithograph showing lawyers " Side bench " in front of th...
Category

20th Century American Impressionist William Sharp Art

Materials

Lithograph

Richard Reynolds, Society of Friends: 19th C. Engraved Portrait by Wm. Sharp
By William Sharp
Located in Alamo, CA
This is an early 19th century engraved portrait of the industrialist and philanthropist Richard Reynolds by William Sharp after William Hobday. It was published in London by Rudolph Ackerman in 1817. The print is entitled "Richard Reynolds of the Society of Friends, Late of Bristol". This three-quarter length portrait of Reynolds depicts him seated, directed to right, looking towards the viewer. He is holding an open book, wearing a plain suit. A curtain in the background is pulled to the left, revealing bookshelves. Some of the books are labelled 'Addison & Watts' 'Kempis & Fenelon' 'Milton & Cowley' etc. The inscription above the portrait reads: "When the eye saw him it blessed him". The lettering below the image reads: "Richard Reynolds of the Society of Friends, Late of Bristol; Whose Life and Fortune were devoted to the Glory of God by relieving the humble in Distress.', This plate is dedicated by Permission to his Royal Highness, the Prince Regent by his most devoted very humble servant William Hobday." This engraving is printed on thick paper. The sheet measures 16" high and 12" wide. It is adhered to an archival backing in the upper left corner. There is mild discoloration and toning in the margins, but it does not involve the image. Richard Reynolds (1735-1816) was a prominent member of the Society of Friends, also known as Quakers, in the 18th and 19th centuries. He was born into a wealthy family in Bristol, England, and inherited a successful copper smelting, iron manufacturing business from his father. Despite his privileged upbringing, Reynolds was known for his deep concern for the poor and his commitment to social justice. He used his wealth and influence to support a range of philanthropic causes, including the abolition of slavery, the improvement of working conditions for miners and factory workers, and the provision of education for the poor. Reynolds was also a prominent supporter of the Quaker...
Category

Early 19th Century William Sharp Art

Materials

Engraving

"Factory on the River, " Modernist and Precisionist WPA Industrial New York Scene
By William Sharp
Located in New York, NY
William Sharp (1900 - 1961) Factory on the River Oil on canvas 17 1/2 x 23 1/4 inches Initialed lower right: WS Provenance: Estate of the artist Private Collection, New York Swann Auction Galleries, American Art, June 13, 2019, Lot 178 William Sharp was born on June 13, 1900, in Lemberg, Austria, where he attended college and the Academy for Arts and Industry. He later studied in Kraków, Poland, and in Berlin and Munich, Germany. Sharp began his career as a designer of stained-glass windows and as a painter of murals. He served in the German army during World War I. After the war he became a newspaper artist in Berlin and a well-known etcher. Sharp drew political cartoons that were bitterly critical of the growing Nazi movement. As the influence of National Socialism intensified, he began to contribute drawings, under a pseudonym, to publications that were hostile to Hitler. After Hitler assumed power, Sharp was confronted with these drawings and told that he would be sent to a concentration camp. However, in 1934, he escaped to the United States. His first newspaper assignment in America was making courtroom sketches for The New York Mirror...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Realist William Sharp Art

Materials

Canvas, Paint, Oil

"Colonial Sand and Stone Company, New York, " Industrial WPA Scene, Precisionist
By William Sharp
Located in New York, NY
William Sharp (1900 - 1961) Factory on the River Oil on canvas 20 1/2 x 28 1/2 inches Initialed lower left: WS Provenance: Estate of the artist Private Collection, New York Swann Auction Galleries, American Art, June 13, 2019, Lot 178 Private Collection, New York Colonial Sand and Stone Co., founded by Generoso Pope, was once the country’s largest sand and gravel business, providing the concrete for much of New York City’s skyline, including the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, airports and subways. William Sharp was born on June 13, 1900, in Lemberg, Austria, where he attended college and the Academy for Arts and Industry. He later studied in Kraków, Poland, and in Berlin and Munich, Germany. Sharp began his career as a designer of stained-glass windows and as a painter of murals. He served in the German army during World War I. After the war he became a newspaper artist in Berlin and a well-known etcher. Sharp drew political cartoons that were bitterly critical of the growing Nazi movement. As the influence of National Socialism intensified, he began to contribute drawings, under a pseudonym, to publications that were hostile to Hitler. After Hitler assumed power, Sharp was confronted with these drawings and told that he would be sent to a concentration camp. However, in 1934, he escaped to the United States. His first newspaper assignment in America was making courtroom sketches for The New York Mirror...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Realist William Sharp Art

Materials

Canvas, Paint, Oil

Portrait of G. Heidegger - Original Etching by William Sharp - 1810
By William Sharp
Located in Roma, IT
Portrait of G. Heidegger is an original artwork realized by William Sharp (1749 - 1824). Original Etching from J.C. Lavater's "Essays on Physiognomy, De...
Category

1810s Old Masters William Sharp Art

Materials

Etching

Portrait - Original Etching by William Sharp - 1810
By William Sharp
Located in Roma, IT
Portrait is an original artwork realized by William Sharp (1749 - 1824). Original Etching from J.C. Lavater's "Essays on Physiognomy, Designed to promot...
Category

1810s Old Masters William Sharp Art

Materials

Etching

MAXWELL STREET
By William Sharp
Located in Portland, ME
Sharp, William (American, 1900-1961). MAXWELL STREET. Etching and aquatint, not dated, but circa 1940. Edition of 25, titled and signed in pencil and numbered 9/25. 8 5/8 x 10 3/4 in...
Category

1940s American Realist William Sharp Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

William Sharp, Lincoln Park Marabous (probably Chicago)
By William Sharp
Located in New York, NY
William Sharp, largely known as a court reporter, was based in New York City. Probably this scene of Lincoln Park Marabous is Chicago. There are several ...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern William Sharp Art

Materials

Etching

Related Items
Adam Elsheimer, etching after a painting of Elsheimer by Jan Meyssens
By Wenceslaus Hollar
Located in New York, NY
Wenzel Hollar (1607-1677), Adam Elsheimer, etching after a painting of Elsheimer by Jan Meyssens, 1649, with text and signatures as described below. Ref...
Category

1640s Old Masters William Sharp Art

Materials

Etching

Original Freedom from Want 1943 vintage poster. Thanksgiving
By Norman Rockwell
Located in Spokane, WA
Original vintage poster: FREEDOM FROM WANT, Ours to fight for ... Original. Artist: Normal Rockwell. Archival linen backed in fine condition, ready to frame. Note: All US Go...
Category

1940s American Realist William Sharp Art

Materials

Offset

La Reine Marie d'Angleterre (Queen Mary of England) /// Old Masters Royal Family
By Georges Henri Manesse
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Georges Henri Manesse (French, 1854-1940) Title: "La Reine Marie d'Angleterre (Queen Mary of England)" Portfolio: Gazette des Beaux-Arts Year: 1893 Medium: Original Etching on cream laid paper Limited edition: approx. 1,500 Printer: Chardon Wittman, Paris, France Publisher: Gazette des Beaux-Arts, Paris, France Reference: Sanchez/Seydoux 1893-7 Sheet size: 10.69" x 7.13" Image size: 7" x 5.25" Condition: Light discoloration at edges. It is otherwise a strong impression in excellent condition Notes: This etching is after a painting from 1554 by Dutch artist Anthonis Mor (c. 1517-1577). Comes with its original tissue cover sleeve. This etching was published by Gazette des Beaux-Arts. The Gazette des Beaux-Arts was a French art review, found in 1859 by Édouard Houssaye, with Charles Blanc as its first chief editor. Assia Visson Rubinstein was chief editor under the direction of George Wildenstein from 1928 until 1960. Her papers, which include all editions of the Gazette from this period, are intact at the Cantonal and University Library of Lausanne in Dorigny. The Gazette was a world reference work on art history for nearly 100 years - one other editor in chief, from 1955 to 1987, was Jean Adhémar. It was bought in 1928 by the Wildenstein family, whose last representative was Daniel Wildenstein, its director from 1963 until his death in 2001. The review closed in 2002. Mary I...
Category

1890s Old Masters William Sharp Art

Materials

Intaglio, Etching, Laid Paper

Four Walking Figures
By Harold Altman
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist: Harold Altman (American, 1924-2003) Title: Four Walking Figures Year: c.1980 Medium: Original color lithograph Edition: Inscribed "Artist Proof" in pencil Paper: Arches ...
Category

Late 20th Century American Impressionist William Sharp Art

Materials

Lithograph

Four Walking Figures
Four Walking Figures
H 20.15 in W 25 in D 1.25 in
Cathedral, Palma Mallorca, The Pulpit
By Axel Herman Haig, R.E.
Located in Mount Vernon, NY
Early 20th century signed etching by Axel Herman Haig (1835-1921), an architectural watercolorist and etcher. Finding employment with noted Gothic Revival architecture William Burge...
Category

20th Century William Sharp Art

Materials

Etching

"Study 6" - 1975 Figurative Lithograph on Paper
By Jim Smyth
Located in Soquel, CA
"Study 6" - 1975 Figurative Lithograph on Paper Abstract figurative lithograph by Jim Smyth (American, b. 1938). The nude figure is seen with one hand above her head, holding a clot...
Category

1970s American Impressionist William Sharp Art

Materials

Paper, Ink, Etching, Lithograph

November 1981 III (Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris)
By Harold Altman
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist: Harold Altman (American, 1924-2003) Title: November 1981 III (Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris) Year: 1981 Medium: Original color lithograph Edition: Inscribed "Artist Proof" in pencil Paper: Arches Image size: 7.75 x 11.70 inches Framed size: 18.65 x 22.5 inches Signature: Hand signed and titled in pencil by the artist Condition: Excellent Frame: Custom framed in a wooden silver frame frame, with light light grey matting and brownish green fillet. About the artist. Print...
Category

Late 20th Century American Impressionist William Sharp Art

Materials

Lithograph

John Caldwell Calhoun
Located in Mount Vernon, NY
Giclee print of lithograph from “Portrait Gallery of Distinguished American Citizens with Biographical Sketches and Fac-Similies of Original Letters”, by William H. Brown (1808-1883). These group of images were taken from silhouettes cut by Brown, one of the most famous and best practitioners of the now almost lost art of silhouette cutting. The series of lithographs...
Category

Late 19th Century William Sharp Art

Materials

Giclée

John Caldwell Calhoun
John Caldwell Calhoun
H 20 in W 16 in
Sunday, Central Park
By Harold Altman
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist: Harold Altman (American, 1924-2003) Title: Sunday, Central Park Year: c. 1985 Medium: Color lithograph Edition: Numbered 56/285 in pencil Paper: Wove Image size: 17.5...
Category

Late 20th Century American Impressionist William Sharp Art

Materials

Lithograph

Sunday, Central Park
Sunday, Central Park
H 29.35 in W 36.65 in D 1 in
Verdes, Loir et Cher, France
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Verdes, Loire et Cher, France" is an original lithograph by American artist Teall (La Verne Teall) Messer, 1897-1977. It is hand signed, titled, dated and numbered 36/40 in pencil by the artist. The image size is 10.65 x 13.65 inches, the sheet size is 14 x 21.5 inches. It is in excellent condition, especially considering the age of this piece. About the artist: Born in Dixon Illinois in 1897, Teall Messer dropped the name Lavern as soon as he came "of age". He went to New York to be an artist and intellectual. He hung out with the playwrights of the time and ended up with an award from the Rockefellers to go to Paris and study painting. This was in the 1920's. He stayed for several years in Paris being the stereotypical American painter there. He had contact with at least some of the famous painters and shared a studio with Alexander Calder. One story was that he and Alexander were dating two French sisters. The girls' mother told them to drop the Americans as they would never make much money. That was true for Teall, not so for Calder. He also knew Brancusi well enough to have a signed sketch dedicated "á Teall Messer avec amour". He knew Gertrude Stein well enough to heartily dislike her, considering her a phony. In France Teall married a member of the Byrd...
Category

Early 20th Century American Impressionist William Sharp Art

Materials

Lithograph

Leaves, Monceau
By Harold Altman
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist: Harold Altman (American, 1924-2003) Title: Four Walking Figures Year: c.1980 Medium: Original color lithograph Edition: Inscribed Artist Proof in pencil Paper: Arches Im...
Category

Late 20th Century American Impressionist William Sharp Art

Materials

Lithograph

Leaves, Monceau
Leaves, Monceau
H 18.25 in W 14.85 in D 1.25 in
Skier, Pop Art Lithograph by Alan Mardon
Located in Long Island City, NY
Skier Allan Mardon, Canadian (1931) Date: Circa 1980 Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition of 300 Size: 29 in. x 21 in. (73.66 cm x 53.34 cm)
Category

1980s American Impressionist William Sharp Art

Materials

Lithograph

William Sharp art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic William Sharp art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by William Sharp in etching, canvas, fabric and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the Old Masters style. Not every interior allows for large William Sharp art, so small editions measuring 6 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Jerome Myers, Saul Chase, and Stephen Parrish. William Sharp art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $252 and tops out at $19,500, while the average work can sell for $450.

Artists Similar to William Sharp

Recently Viewed

View All