Alfred Bryan (illustrator)
English illustrator (1852–1899)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alfred Bryan (1852–17 May 1899) (born as Charles Grineau) was a popular English illustrator, known for his contributions to many leading London-based weekly magazines.
He was born as Charles Grineau in Marylebone in London in 1852,[1] the eldest of five children of Helen née Riddle (1818-1860)[2] and William Henry Grinoneau[3] (1829-1902), a baker. Bryan's first professional sketches were published in The Hornet (formerly The Hornsey Hornet). He also produced sketches for The London Figaro.[4] Bryan worked for the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News for most of his career and was also published in periodicals such as the theatrical review Entr'acte, Moonshine (the self-styled 'Best Topical Comic Paper'), Judy magazine. Walter Sickert, a contemporary art critic, described him as "the complete, trained draughtsman", praising his illustrations as "[...]unfaltering in their mastery of line, their perfect style, their elegance and wit."[5]
In the 1880s, Bryan lived in Connaught Road, Stroud Green moving in his final years to Endymion Road, Harringay in North London [6] where he died in May 1899 and was buried in New Southgate Cemetery, in Barnet, North London. He left an estate valued at £2,309 9s 9d.[7]
One of his four children was Charles William Grineau (1883–1957), an artist known for his paintings of motorcars under the pseudonyms Bryan de Grineau and John Bryan.[8]
