During the tumultuous 1890s, a time in England characterized by great social change, illustrator Aubrey Beardsley became one of the most prolific and notorious artists of his generation. Although only artistically productive for five years leading up to his untimely death, Beardsley managed to defy conventions and create uproar with his scandalous representations of the human form, particularly those that defied traditional gender roles, such as the androgyne, the hermaphrodite, or the hyper-sexualized. Beardsley was in essence creating grotesque impressions of his figures as he combined recognizable features to produce an unrecognizable configuration of gender. Despite Beardsley’s numerous artistic inspirations and influences, his highly distinctive and original style was manipulated to promote the progression of equality during the late Victorian era, namely the women’s rights movement.
