It will readily be conceded that Mr. Fildes's illustrations for Dickens's final romance are remarkable for a serious and sound draughtsmanship, while the life-like delineation of the various characters, as well as the pictorial exactitude of backgrounds and accessories, invite careful study and examination. Without unduly disparaging the excellent etchings by Cruikshank and "Phiz," it must be admitted that there is a vitality appertaining to Mr. Fildes's designs which imparts to them a reality not always discoverable in the illustrations produced by those admirable artists.
FOOTNOTES:
[49] By a curious coincidence, this scene is almost identical with that depicted by Seymour on the wrapper for the monthly parts of "Pickwick."
[50] An engraved reproduction of this picture appeared in The Graphic Christmas number, 1870.
APPENDIX
I
ILLUSTRATORS OF CHEAP EDITIONS
C. R. Leslie, R.A.—Design for "Pickwick"—Washington Irving's Tribute to the Artist—Portrait of "Dickens as Captain Bobadil"—T. Webster, R.A.—His Picture of "Dotheboys Hall"—A. Boyd Houghton—Illustrations for "Hard Times" and "Our Mutual Friend"—G. J. Pinwell—Illustrations for "The Uncommercial Traveller"—Interesting Portrait of the Novelist—F. Walker, A.R.A.—Illustrations for "Reprinted Pieces" and "Hard Times"—Illustrators of the Household Edition—C. Green, F. Barnard, J. Mahoney, E. G. Dalziel, F. A. Fraser, G. Thomson, H. French, A. B. Frost, and J. McL. Ralston—Charles Green's Illustrations for "The Old Curiosity Shop," "Great Expectations," and the Christmas Books—F. Barnard, the Premier Illustrator of Dickens—The Novels Illustrated by him—His Favourite Model—Tragic Death of the Artist—An American Household Edition—New Designs by C. S. Reinhart, T. Worth, W. L. Sheppard, E. A. Abbey, A. B. Frost, and T. Nast—Illustrations by J. McLenan—F. O. C. Darley—His Reputation as a Draughtsman—His Designs for an American Household Edition Engraved on Steel—Independent Illustrations—Death of the Artist—Sir John Gilbert's Designs for "Holiday Romance"—G. G. White—S. Eytinge—Prolific Contributor to Books and Periodicals—His Picture of "Mr. Pickwick's Reception"—Designs for the Diamond Edition, &c.—Character Sketches—Dickens's Admiration of the Artist's Conceptions—Gives a Sitting for his Portrait—A Unique Print—Eytinge Visits Gad's Hill—Illustrations by H. Billings for "A Child's Dream of a Star"—The "Christmas Carol" Designs by Gaugengigl and Chominski—"The Cricket on the Hearth" Designs by Marold and Mittis, and L. Rossi—Some Dickens Illustrations by J. Nash, T. W. Wilson, J. E. Christie, and G. Browne—Designs by E. J. Wheeler for "Tales from Pickwick"—Illustrations by Phil May, Maurice Greiffenhagen, and Harry Furniss—Coloured Frontispieces for the Temple Library Edition.
C. R. Leslie, R.A.Besides the illustrators of the original issues of Charles Dickens's novels there are other distinguished artists concerning whose designs for the cheaper editions some mention should be made in the present work. Besides Clarkson Stanfield, R.A., who has already been referred to as supplying the frontispiece to the first cheap issue of "American Notes," Dickens was under a similar obligation to two other Royal Academicians, Leslie and Webster, for frontispieces to the first cheap edition of "Pickwick" (1847) and "Nicholas Nickleby" (1848) respectively. Charles Robert Leslie, of whom Thackeray once said that no artist possessed so much as he "the precious quality of making us laugh kindly," found a suitable subject in the twelfth chapter of "The Pickwick Papers," his illustration representing Mrs. Bardell fainting in the arms of Mr. Pickwick,—an incident that had already been depicted by "Phiz." The original picture by Leslie—which was a commission from Dickens—is a cabinet-painting in grisaille or monochrome; it realised £137, 11s. at the sale of the novelist's effects in 1870, and is now the property of Mr. William Wright, of Paris. It seems probable that Dickens owed his introduction to this artist through the friendly intervention of Washington Irving, who, in May 1841, thus wrote to the novelist: "Do you know Leslie the painter, the one who has recently painted a picture of Queen Victoria? If you do not, I wish you would get acquainted with him. You would like one another. He is full of talent and right feeling. He was one of my choice and intimate companions during my literary sojourn in London. While I was making my early studies with my pen, he was working with his pencil. We sympathised in tastes and in feelings, and used to explore London together, and visit the neighbouring villages, occasionally extending our researches into different parts of the country. He is one of the purest and best of men, with a fine eye for nature and character, and a true Addisonian humour." In 1846 Leslie produced his well-known picture of Dickens as Captain Bobabil, in Ben Jonson's play, "Every Man in his Humour," which was exhibited in the Royal Academy the same year; shortly afterwards the painting was reproduced in lithography by T. H. Maguire, impressions of which (especially those that were coloured) are now very scarce.