[CHAPTER IV.]
Birket Foster, R.W.S., Alexander Strahan, Sir E. Burne-Jones, John D. Watson, Holman Hunt, Frederick Sandys, Harrison Weir, J. Wolf, J. M. Lawless, Tom Taylor, Lord Tennyson, Sir John E. Millais, The Emperor Napoleon III.
Birket Foster was a genuine man; kind and generous to a degree in all the ways of life. He stands as one of England's most popular landscape draughtsmen, and as a painter in water colour of great distinction.
We first knew him as a little boy with round jacket and turn-down collar. Later he came to be apprenticed to Ebenezer Landells to learn the art of wood engraving; but in this he made literally no progress, and Landells considering that as a landscape draughtsman he might be more likely to take a foremost position, the youth's attention was turned to this branch of art with the most satisfactory results. His improvement was very rapid, and all that could be desired by his employer.
Shortly before the termination of his engagement with Landells he went for a holiday to Scotland, where, unfortunately, he had a very bad accident, breaking an arm and receiving other serious injuries, which for a long time quite incapacitated him for work. It was during his illness that the period of his indentures expired, but as soon as he was well enough to resume work he insisted on returning to his duties that he might make up the time that had been lost; and this he did without any request on Landells' part. On his return we well remember seeing him at work in a little top room in Birch Court, E.C. He was making small drawings of pots and pans, teapots, gridirons, and other such articles for an ironmongers catalogue, and said, in the most cheerful manner, "It is right that I should return here and do this work; it is good practice, and will enable me to draw all these sorts of things with some practical knowledge."
Our first personal business connection with Birket Foster was in 1851, when we commissioned him to make a set of eight illustrations to "Kirk White's Poetical Works" for Messrs. George Routledge and Co. After this he illustrated several small books in a similar manner for us, as well as becoming a constant and very liberal contributor to many of the "Fine Art Books" which we produced. Amongst these we may mention "Wordsworth's Poems," where his many tastefully selected views of the Cumberland and Westmoreland Lake scenery give such a charm to the book; also "Odes and Sonnets," illustrated by a series of very beautiful landscapes which were printed in tints; "Summer Time in the Country," etc. After hundreds of his drawings had passed through our hands we asked him to make a series of larger pictures, which were to be the best and most perfect work he could do, and they were, as far as possible, to be thoroughly representative subjects of rustic English scenery.
Foster most readily undertook the commission, and was very anxious to commence working upon it, as the following letter shows:
"Dear Sirs,—I shall be most glad to do the 50 drawings for £300, and the vignettes at your own price; I will do them for £50 if nothing is said about it. You must give me this week, as I've a good deal to get done, but next week you shall have some 'Minstrels.'[16]
"Yours truly,
"Birket Foster."