Sidney Sime
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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In the story, H. P. Lovecraft's praises Sidney Sime: "There's something those fellows catch - beyond life - that they're able to make us catch for a second. Doré had it. [Sidney] Sime has it."
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Life
Early Life
Sime was born in Manchester in poverty. After a brief career as a "scoop pusher" in the mines and other menial jobs, he studied at the Liverpool College of Art (which joined the University of Liverpool in 1952). He is sometimes called "the biggest thing to come out of Liverpool before the Beatles."
Publishing
Sime quickly became famous for drawings and illustrations with fantastic themes, with a presence in "Pick-Me-Up", "The Idler" and "Pall Mall Gazette." The fantastic treatment often masked biting satire, especially aimed at the rich and at politicians.
He received an inheritance after an uncle died and bought "The Idler" but the business failed in under two years.
Dunsany
In 1904, Sime was approached by the author for whom he is most often remembered, Irish aristocrat Lord Dunsany, to illustrate his first book, The Gods of Pegana, finally published in 1905. This began an association which lasted for the rest of his life, with his illustrations especially prominent in Dunsany's earlier work (until c. 1922). For one volume, at least some of the stories were inspired by Sime works, and for two, in special limited editions, each plate of illustration was signed by both author and artist.
Drama and Exhibitions
Sime, who had produced a play with limited success in 1905, did both scenery and costume work for a number of productions, and had exhibitions in 1923 and 1927. In his later years, he produced less work but more in colour, his earlier work having been almost exclusively monochrome.
Sime died in 1941, and his widow Mary preserved many of his remaining works, which on her death formed the Sime Memorial Gallery.
Legacy
Today, Sime is best remembered for his work with Lord Dunsany.
At least four collections of Sime's work have been published, though none are in print today. The quality of reproduction in these has been variable. Many reprint editions of Dunsany work omit the illustrations but some include them. As with the Sime collections, some publishers have produced high-quality reproductions but some have been very poor.
Illustrator Roger Dean is among many who cite him as an influence. Writer H. P. Lovecraft was also a fan of his, as was Howard de Walden.
The Sime Gallery is still extant in the village of Worplesdon near Guildford but the most famous collections of Sime work belonged to Lord Dunsany and Howard de Walden. The latter is unavailable, and it is believed many were lost in a fire. However, the Dunsany collection, including all the originals of Sime's work for Dunsany, plus a few other pieces, and notably with several in colour, can be viewed by arrangement at Dunsany Castle in County Meath, Ireland.
