James Ward

James Ward was an artist whose active period spanned the years 1769 through 1824. His surviving production, as represented in major collections, consists primarily of drawings and prints.

Ward’s works address a variety of subjects, including animal studies, figural portraits, and theatrical scenes. Museum holdings currently document 11 drawings and 4 prints attributed to the artist. His detailed renderings of natural history and husbandry subjects include the print Herefordshire Fat Ox and the drawing Horse and Mules Grazing. He also created character studies, such as the portrait George Frederick Cooke in the Character of Iago (Shakespeare's "Othello"), alongside preparatory studies like Two Studies of a Seated Man and observational pieces such as Swallows Before They Take Their Departure.

Works by James Ward are held in several significant American collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, and the Cleveland Museum of Art. The institutional preservation of these drawings and James Ward prints ensures their continued study. Due to the historical nature of the works, much of his output falls into the public domain, making high-quality prints available for research and appreciation, often as downloadable artwork.