Aubrey Vincent Beardsley was the most notorious and outstanding artist of the fin de siecle. His disturbing erotic drawings shocked the sensibilities of the Victorians. Jacques-Emile Blanche's portrait of Beardsley, his face “like a silver hatchet,” is the enduring image of this man, friend and collaborator of Oscar Wilde, who died at age 25. Beardsley's most important illustrations were for Wilde's Salome: Pope's Rape of the Lock, The Lysistrata of Aristophanes and Jonson's Valpone.

David Colvin has at various times worked as an actor, tailor and an art historian; all roles conducive to the expression of his particular sense of style. He is the author of several books, including Oscar Wilde: An Exquisite Life, also published by Welcome Rain.