CHAPTER XIV.
John Leech’s Punch Cartoons.—The “Albert” Hat.—O’Connell.—Sir James Graham.—“Peel’s Dirty Little Boy.”—“How do you Like the New Whig?”—“The Premier’s Fix.”—“The Railway Juggernaut.”—Between Free Trade and Protection Sir Robert Peel falls through.—“Dombey and Son.”—Lord Brougham “in order.”—Smithfield.—Louis Philippe.—The Year of Unrest, 1848.—French Expedition to Rome.—“A Bright Idea.”—General Haynau and Barclay & Perkins’ Draymen.—“Joe” Hume.—The “Papal Aggression” Cartoons.—“The Boy who Chalked up ‘No Popery’ and then Ran Away.”—Great Exhibition of 1851.—The Coup d’état.—The Peace Society.—“The Old ‘Un and the Young ’Un.”—War with Russia.—Evils of the Purchase System.—Generals Janvier and Fevrier.—“The Return from Vienna.”—Incapacity of English Generals.—“Urgent Private Affairs.”—“Staying Proceedings.”—The Royal Levées.—The French Colonels.—“Religion à la mode.”—Fête at Cremorne.—Plots against the French Emperor, and their Consequences.—“Invasion of French Light Wines.”
CHAPTER XV.
Exhibition of Leech’s “Sketches in Oil” at the Egyptian Hall in 1862.—What Thackeray said of them.—Gradual Decrease in the Numbers of his Cartoons for Punch.—Overwork.—Goes to the Continent with Mark Lemon in 1862.—“A day at Biarritz.”—Returns with no Benefit.—Leech and Thackeray at Evans’s in December, 1863.—Thackeray and Leech at Charterhouse on “Founder’s Day.”—Thackeray at the Wednesday Punch Dinner, 15th of December, 1863.—Death of Thackeray.—Death of Mr. R. W. Surtees.—The Punch Council Dinners.—John Leech a faithful Attendant.—“Moses Starting for the Fair.”—John Leech’s Illness described.—No Falling off in the Quality of his Designs.—“St. Genulphus.”—Starts off for Homburg with Mr. Alfred Elmore.—Death of Thomas Frederick Robson.—His Wonderful Powers Wasted.—Leech goes to Whitby.—Shirley Brooks joins him.—“The Weinbrunnen Schwalbach.”—Reminiscences of the Whitby Visit.—Opening of Fechter’s Season at the Lyceum.—John Leech at a Party at Mr. W. P. Frith’s, 13th of October—At the Weekly Punch Dinner, 26th of October.—Serious Change for the Worse.—His Death.—Shock caused by his Death in London and the Provinces.—His Funeral.—Shirley Brooks’ Memorial in Punch.
CHAPTER XVI.
Hablot Knight Browne (“Phiz”).—Invincible Tendency to Exaggeration.—Charles Lever’s Opinion.—Weakness and Attenuation of his Figures.—Compared with John Leech.—Tendency to Reproduce.—All his Heroes closely Resemble One Another.—Charles Lever’s Complaint on this Score.—Great Ability of the Artist.—“Ralph Nickleby’s Visit to his Poor Relations.”—Newman Noggs.—Squeers.—Mrs. Nickleby’s Lunatic Admirer.—“Pecksniff’s Reception of the New Pupil.”—“Pleasant Little Family Party at Mr. Pecksniff’s.”—“Warm Reception of Mr. Pecksniff by his Venerable Friend.”—Quilp and Samson Brass.—Quilp and the Dog.—Mrs. Jarley’s Waxwork Brigand.—Capture of Bunsby by Mrs. Macstinger.—“Sunday under Three Heads.”—The Jack Sheppard Mania of 1840.—“The Way to the Gallows made Easy and Pleasant.”—“Phiz” not a Born Comic Artist.—Excellence in Depicting Graver Subjects.—“The Dombey Family.”—“Mrs. Dombey at Home.”—“Abstraction and Recognition.”—“The Dark Road.”—“Carker in his Hour of Triumph.”—“Bleak House.”—Why Browne suited Charles Dickens’s Requirements.—Coolness between Artist and Author.—One of Browne’s Finest Illustrations.—Decline of Book Etching.—Browne without an Idea of his Own.—Powerful Assistance rendered to Novelists by Book Illustrators of his day.—Sketches and Studies.—Death of the Artist.