Hamlet (Beggarstaffs)

The Beggarstaffs

1894 · Colour lithograph (Les Maîtres de l'Affiche plate after the poster) · Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

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Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

Hamlet (Beggarstaffs)

Kassama Corn Flour

Hamlet (Mucha)

3 × $59 at 16 × 24 in, unframed = $177 → $159.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping

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Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

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Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free

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About this work

Artist: The Beggarstaffs (1894–1899)
Year: 1894
Medium: Colour lithograph (Les Maîtres de l'Affiche plate after the poster)
Original size: 39 × 29 cm
Collection: Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris (Les Maîtres de l'Affiche, reduced plate)
Movement: Belle Époque

Hamlet stands in black with a skull in his hands, his figure cut from flat paper shapes against a plain brown ground, the word Hamlet lettered below. The Beggarstaffs, the brothers-in-law William Nicholson and James Pryde, made the design in 1894 for W. S. Hardy's touring production of the play, cutting the figure from coloured paper and pasting it down; their posters were the most radical of the decade, and most of their designs were never printed. This is the reduced version issued in 1896 as plate 107 of Les Maîtres de l'Affiche, printed by Chaix in Paris; the original was about two metres tall. The impression reproduced is from the Bibliothèque nationale de France's copy of the series.

This exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. The original is in the public domain.

Where it works

A black cut-paper figure on brown, severe and modern, for a study, library or hallway at 12×18 or 16×24 in thin black, no mat. It suits a white or dark grey wall and pairs with Mucha's Hamlet for a contrast.

Style, size & framing detail

Style: Exhibition poster of a Belle Époque painting
Era: 19th century (1894)
Orientation: Portrait
Palette: cream & beige
Mood: decorative, sophisticated
Rooms: hallway or entryway, study or library, living room, dining room, dorm room
Good gift for: housewarming, art lovers

Size. We'd hang this one at 12×18. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.

Framing. Exhibition posters sit best in a slim black frame with no mat — the typeset margin is the mat.

Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).

Details & materials

• Exhibition poster — original, drawn in-house • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in; every size also available framed • Framed option: wood frame in black or dark wood, 12 mm wide and 22 mm deep, with a plexiglass front and no mat; the print is mounted inside and the frame's outside measures the listed size • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Printed after you order at the facility nearest you, then shipped. Standard delivery is free and takes 4–9 business days from order to door in the US, UK and EU (up to 10 elsewhere); Express takes 4–6 business days. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The exhibition-poster edition sets the complete image above typography designed in-house.

Is Hamlet in the public domain?

Yes. The Beggarstaffs (1894–1899) died more than 70 years ago and the work was published before 1929, so the painting itself is public domain. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by Bibliothèque nationale de France.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 12×18, 16×24 and 24×36 inches; every size is also offered framed in black or dark wood, with plexiglass and no mat. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was Hamlet painted, and in what medium?

Hamlet dates from 1894 and was made in colour lithograph (Les Maîtres de l'Affiche plate after the poster); the original measures 39 × 29 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

Across a three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 24×36 is the size that reads as one statement piece; 16×24 suits a narrower wall or a pair. For Hamlet we'd choose 12×18.

About this design

A museum-exhibition poster of The Beggarstaffs's Hamlet — hamlet stands in black with a skull in his hands, his figure cut from flat paper shapes against a plain brown ground, the word Hamlet lettered below — shown whole and uncropped beneath gallery typography. The Modern Poster, styled as a blockbuster exhibition print. A gallery-style exhibition poster: a celebrated public-domain artwork shown whole and uncropped beneath original exhibition typography set in-house — printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Every size is offered unframed or framed in black or dark wood. Part of the Madten Exhibition Posters Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

Buy with confidence

The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in 4–9 business days.

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