Shakespeare's Head Emblem

Jacob Tonson, the Elder|Jacob Tonson, the Younger|William Shakespeare

1735 · Wood cut and letter press · Drawings and Prints

Jacob Tonson the Elder obtained publication rights to Shakespeare's works and issued an important edition of the plays in 1709. From about 1700, he worked in partnership with his nephew, Jacob Tonson the Younger, and they moved into a shop in the Strand known as Shakespeare's Head in 1710. This small woodcut image of the Bard, clipped from a Tonson title page, was their signature emblem.

Artist

Jacob Tonson, the Elder|Jacob Tonson, the Younger|William Shakespeare

Date

1735

Medium

Wood cut and letter press

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Gift of Junius S. Morgan, 1926