Alfred Bryan (1852–17 May 1899) (born as Charles Grineau)^[1] was a popular English illustrator, best known for his many contributions to the London-based weekly theatrical review Entr'acte.

He was born as Charles Grineau in Marylebone in London in 1852,^[2] the eldest of five children of Elizabeth née Newman (1840-1804) and William Henry Grineau (1829-1902), a baker. Bryan's first professional sketches were published in The Hornsey Hornet. He also produced sketches for The London Figaro.^[3] Bryan worked for the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News for most of his career and was also published in periodicals such as 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."^[4]

Bryan 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.^[5]

His son was Charles William Grineau (1883–1957), an artist known for his paintings of motorcars under the pseudonyms Bryan de Grineau and John Bryan.^[1]

Gallery

• 
  Typical Bryan caricature of the actor W. H. Denny as he appeared in The Yeomen of the Guard
• 
  Gilbert, Sullivan and D'Oyly Carte from the 1894 Entr'acte Annual
• 
  Carl Rosa from the 1888 Entr'acte Annual
• 
  Charles Dickens from the 1893 Entr'acte Annual
• 
  Caricature of comedian Dan Leno as a Christmas pantomime dame from 1890s
• 
  Bobby Abel, to W. G.:-"Look here, we players intend to be sufficiently paid, as well as the so-called gentlemen!", 1884 Entr'acte Annual
• 
  Oscar Wilde by Alfred Bryan
• 
  The ventriloquist Frank Travis from the 1889 Entr'acte

References

External links

Media related to Alfred Bryan (illustrator) at Wikimedia Commons

• Bryan on the National Portrait Gallery website