SIMEON SOLOMON
'LEISURE HOUR'
1866, p. 540
THE DAY OF
ATONEMENT
THE LEISURE HOUR
The publications of the Religious Tract Society have employed an enormous mass of illustrations, but as the artist's name rarely appears at the period with which we are concerned, either in the index of illustrations or below the engravings, the task of tracing each to its source would be onerous and the result probably not worth the labour.
Yet, in the volumes of the Leisure Hour for the sixties, there are a few noteworthy pictures which may later on attract collectors to a periodical which so far appealed more, one had thought, to parish workers than to art students.
The 1861 volume starts with the 471st number of the magazine, illustrated by 'Gilbert' (probably Sir John). In 1863 coloured plates are given monthly, three being after originals by the same artist, but, although attributed duly in the advertising pages of its wrapper, the name of the design does not appear in the index. With 1864 a surprise faces you in the illustrations to Hurlock Chase, which are vigorous, dramatic, and excellently composed, full of colour and breadth. That they are by G. Du Maurier internal evidence proves clearly, but there is no formal recognition of the fact. Robert Barnes has a full page, Granny's Portrait (p. 825). Enoch Arden is by 'an amateur whose name the publishers are not able to trace.'[4] In 1865 the illustrations to The Awdries, also unsigned, are distinctly interesting; later the well-known monogram of J. Mahoney is met with frequently. In 1866 a series of ten illustrations of the ceremonies of modern Jewish ritual, domestic and ecclesiastical (pp. 72, 167, 216, 328, 376–475, 540, 603, 653, 823) appear. Contrary to the rule usually observed here, they are entitled, 'by S. Solomon.' These are, so far as I know (with four exceptions), the only contributions to periodical literature by Simeon Solomon, an artist who at this date bade fair to be one of the greatest pre-Raphaelite painters. They are distinctly original both in their technical handling and composition, and excellently engraved by Butterworth and Heath. For their sake no collector of the sixties should overlook a book which is to be picked up anywhere at present. The illustrations to The Great Van Bruch property, unsigned, are most probably by J. Mahoney. Others include George III. and Mr. Adams, a full page by C. J. Staniland (p. 494); a series of Pen and Pencil Sketches among the Outer Hebrides, R. T. Pritchett; Finding the body of William Rufus, J. M. In 1867 J. Mahoney illustrates the serial, The Heiress of Cheevely Dale, and contributes a full page, The Blue-Coat Boy's Mother (p. 812); Whymper has two series, On the Nile and A trip through the Tyrol, both oddly enough attributed to him in the index. Silent, with scarce an exception, as regards other artists, the sentence, 'engraved by Whymper,' finds a place each time. In 1868 are more Mahoneys; in 1869 Charles Green illustrates the serial.
THE SUNDAY AT HOME
This magazine, uniform with the Leisure Hour in style and general arrangement, is hardly of sufficient artistic interest to need detailed comment here. Started in 1852 it relied, like its companion, on Gilbert and other less important draughtsmen. In the sixties it was affected a little by the movement. In 1863 there is one design by G. J. Pinwell, The German Band (p. 753), several by C. Green, and one probably by Du Maurier (p. 513), who has also six most excellent drawings to The Artist's Son in the number for January, and one each to short stories, John Henderson and Siller and Gowd, later in the year. A serial in 1865 and one in 1866 are both illustrated by J. Mahoney; and, in the latter year, W. Small supplies drawings to another story. Beyond a full page, obviously by R. Barnes, there is nothing else peculiarly interesting in 1866; in the 1867 volume F. W. Lawson and Charles Green contribute a good many designs. In 1868 S. L. Fildes has one full page, St. Bartholomew (p. 329), and F. A. F. appears; in 1869 Charles Green is frequently encountered, but the magazine is not a very happy hunting-ground for our purpose.