ILLUSTRATION FROM "MISS MOUSE AND HER BOYS." BY L. LESLIE BROOKE. (MACMILLAN AND CO. 1897)
The special full-page illustrations which appear in this number must not be left without a word of comment. In place of re-issuing facsimiles of actual illustrations from coloured books of the past which would probably have been familiar to many readers, drawings by artists who are mentioned elsewhere in this Christmas Number have been specially designed to carry out the spirit of the theme. For Christmas is pre-eminently the time for children's books. Mr. Robert Halls' painting of a baby, here called "The Heir to Fairyland"—the critic for whom all this vast amount of effort is annually expended—is seen still in the early or destructive stage, a curious foreshadowing of his attitude in a later development should he be led from the paths of Philistia to the bye-ways of art criticism. The portrait miniatures of child-life by Mr. Robert Halls, if not so well known as they deserve, cannot be unfamiliar to readers of The Studio, since many of his best works have been exhibited at the Academy and elsewhere.
The lithograph by Mr. R. Anning Bell, "In Nooks with Books," represents a second stage of the juvenile critic when appreciation in a very acute form has set in, and picture-books are no longer regarded as toys to destroy, but treasures to be enjoyed snugly with a delight in their possession.
ILLUSTRATION FROM "BABY'S LAYS" BY E. CALVERT (ELKIN MATHEWS. 1897)
Mr. Granville Fell, with "King Love, a Christmas Greeting," turns back to the memory of the birthday whose celebration provokes the gifts which so often take the form of illustrated books, for Christmas is to Britons more and more the children's festival. The conviviality of the Dickens' period may linger here and there; but to adults generally Christmas is only a vicarious pleasure, for most households devote the day entirely to pleasing the little ones who have annexed it as their own special holiday.
The dainty water-colour by Mr. Charles Robinson, and the charming drawing in line by M. Boutet de Monvel, call for no comment. Collectors will be glad to possess such excellent facsimiles of work by two illustrators conspicuous for their work in this field. The figure by Mr. Robinson, "So Light of Foot, so Light of Spirit," is extremely typical of the personal style he has adopted from the first. Studies by M. de Monvel have appeared before in The Studio, so that it would be merely reiterating the obvious to call attention to the exquisite truth of character which he obtains with rare artistry.
G. W.
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