"King Lear," Act I, Scene I

Abbey, a multitalented illustrator, painter, and muralist born in Philadelphia, is best known for his historical imagery of Arthurian and Shakespearean subjects. A popular member of expatriate artistic circles, Abbey first visited England in 1878 and settled there in 1882. In this dramatic composition from the opening scene of Shakespeare’s King Lear, Cordelia—the tragedy’s heroine—stands at center, having just been renounced by her father and derided by her deceptive sisters.