The Art of Sidney H. Sime, Master of Fantasy

Sidney Sime was a painter, illustrator and caricaturist. He was born in 1865 in Manchester to a poor family. He worked in the coal mines as a boy, then for a linen draper and a baker, before taking up sign writing and entering Liverpool school of art.


He moved to London to work for Pick-Me-Up and other magazines, making both theatrical caricatures and sinisterly humorous drawings. His work, although influenced by Aubrey Beardsley and Japanese prints, was truly original.

In 1898 he inherited a house and money from his uncle, an Edinburgh solicitor. He moved to Scotland to occupy his new property and to paint. However, he soon felt isolated, sold the house in Scotland and moved to Crown Cottage in Worplesdon, Surrey.

In 1904 Sime first met Lord Dunsany, who both enjoyed the company of this eccentric artist and greatly admired his work. They shared a fascination with imaginary worlds and fantastical tales. Dunsany chose Sime to illustrate his first book, The Gods of Pegana, a poetic fantasy, and was delighted with the result. Their collaboration continued until the 1930s.

In 1909 he formed a friendship with Lord Howard de Walden who employed him to make set and costume designs for his theatrical productions. Another member of their circle was the composer Joseph Holbrooke, for whose operas Sime also made designs.

After the Great War Sime devoted much of his time to rendering his fantasies in large oil paintings, a number of which are shown here. rhymes and stories. See watercolour, ink, and collage artworks in person – as well as early drafts, sketches and ideas shown alongside text from Michael Rosen’s books.