Beresford Egan

Beresford Egan (1905–1984) was a satirical draughtsman, painter, novelist, actor, costume designer and playwright. He was born in London but grew up in South Africa following a family move when he was five years old. He returned to London in July 1926 after spending two years as a precocious sports cartoonist on the Rand Daily Mail in Johannesburg.

He quickly established himself in the artistic and literary atmosphere of London. He not only illustrated the works of other writers, but also his own novels. He wrote three plays, composed songs and undertook theatre criticism and caricatures. He acted in British movies, including Latin Quarter, and appeared in the dying days of British music hall as The Great Daleno. His art was highly influenced by Aubrey Beardsley and many of his illustrations were in an erotic vein.

Egan is remembered as one of the few original British exponents of Art Deco. He was one of the most famous people of London's bohemian scene for nearly five decades. He was a prolific writer and book illustrator, beginning with The Sink of Solitude, a satire on the banning of Radclyffe Hall's controversial novel The Well Of Loneliness (1928). That book marked the beginning of a prolific phase of around six years during which Egan created numerous illustrations and book covers for works of Aleister Crowley, Pierre Louÿs and Charles Baudelaire. Egan also wrote a couple of novels, which he embellished with his striking illustrations. He also made illustrations for the monographs produced by his wife Catherine Bower Alcock.

Following military service during the Second World War, he acted occasionally in films, including four for director Vernon Sewell.

He died in London in 1984.