Argumentum ad Hominem. By J. Mahoney. From Fun.
Young Graceless.—"Natural selection!"
Old Graceless.—"Certainly! Only the finest specimens of the race survive."
Young Graceless.—"Come now, that won't do! Why, you're over sixty now, and good for another twenty years!"
Among other artists employed on Fun were—William Small; Harry French; "F. A. F." (Francis A. Fraser), and his brother, G. Gordon Fraser, whose sketches of humorous Irish character were for several years a prominent feature in the journal (poor fellow! during the very severe winter of 1895 he was accidentally drowned while skating); E. J. Brewtnall, R.W.S., the water colour painter; F. S. Walker, R.H.A.; George Gatcombe, Harry Tuck; and J. W. Houghton. The last named also contributed the dramatic criticisms, with illustrations, for several years. Jack Houghton is a ready writer of smart, clever verse, and wrote all the rhymed descriptions to Gordon Thomson's "Academy Skits."
Another very talented youth who it was our good fortune to introduce on Fun's pages, both in literature and art, was J. F. Sullivan. He was a student at South Kensington, when he first forwarded some sketches for our inspection; and seeing they gave evidence of considerable ability, we at once availed ourselves of his drawings. Though he had much originality of conception and design, he did not very readily acquire a "style" of his own, such as is evidenced in his later productions. Perhaps the most notable works Sullivan did were some very clever character sketches—"The British Working-man" and "The British Tradesman." But he was not an artist only, for, during the many years he was associated with Fun, he contributed to it a fair amount of very good verse and general comic matter.
OYSTERS.