[8] These words were used by the American Ambassador, who was present and spoke on the occasion.
[CHAPTER III.]
Sir J. E. Millais, P.R.A., Holman Hunt, Dante G. Rossetti, Arthur Hughes, Millais' "Parables of Our Lord," Sir J. Noel Paton, P.R.S.A., Sir John Tenniel, Etc.
Much has been written about "The Golden Period of Illustration" as it existed in the early Sixties, represented by wood engraving and the admirable drawings done for that process by such artists as Sir John Millais, Fred Walker, A. Boyd Houghton, Dante G. Rossetti, G. J. Pinwell, Sir E. J. Poynter, Lord Leighton, Sir E. Burne-Jones, F. Sandys, and other notable artists.
Our opportunities were favourable. We were equally fortunate in being so intimately connected with men possessing such exceptional talent, and it must ever be a great satisfaction to us that we were in a position to avail ourselves of their brilliant ability.
Our co-operation with Sir John Millais began about midway in the fifties, when, at his request, Moxon, the publisher, brought one of the Tennyson drawings for us to engrave, and continued for many years, during which time a large majority of the drawings he made for wood engraving were entrusted to us. These included his work for the Cornhill Magazine, Good Words, and the majority of those he did for other serial publications, including the illustrations to Anthony Trollope's "Orley Farm," "The Small House at Allington," and "Framley Parsonage." This artistic association only ceased when he discontinued doing this class of work. During the entire time we gave the most perfect satisfaction to Millais, who frequently expressed himself in the warmest, and to us extremely flattering, terms of appreciation.
We subsequently discovered that it was to Richard Doyle we were indebted for our introduction to Millais, who was then living at Bowerswell. Perth, where Doyle was on a visit, and noticing the delicate character of a drawing he was at work upon said he believed the Dalziels were the only engravers who could do justice to such elaborate manipulation. Upon this Millais requested Moxon to place the drawings in our hands, and so satisfied was he with our first performance, that all the remaining drawings he made for this edition of "Tennyson's Poems" were given to us.
Previous to Mr. Moxon entrusting Millais' drawings to us, he had placed all the subjects with the different artists, but found great difficulty in getting the work from them. He gave us a list of those waited for, and placed the completion of the engravings in our hands, asking us to look up the artists, which brought us in close communication with those engaged upon the work.