BY A. BOYD HOUGHTON. FROM DALZIEL’S “ARABIAN NIGHTS” (WARD, LOCK AND CO., 1865).
BY A. BOYD HOUGHTON. FROM DALZIEL’S “ARABIAN NIGHTS”
(WARD, LOCK AND CO.), 1865.
BY G. J. PINWELL. FOR “GOLDSMITH’ WORKS” (WARD, LOCK AND CO.). PROCESS BLOCK FROM THE ORIGINAL DRAWING ON THE WOOD IN SOUTH KENSINGTON MUSEUM.
Cassells may have been the originators of this sort of illustrated book, or only the followers of a style which became immensely popular. They issued many works by Doré about the same time or later, and a "Gulliver," by T. Morten, among others, but as this volume is not dated, I am unable to say when it appeared—still to this day they keep up the system of publishing illustrated books in parts at a low rate. But soon expensive gift books, illustrated by Houghton, Pinwell, North, and Walker, began to appear, perfectly new unpublished works: in 1866 "A Round of Days" was issued by Routledge; Walker, North, Pinwell, and T. Dalziel, come off best in this gorgeous morocco covered volume, especially the last, who contributes a notable nocturne, the beauty of night, discovered by Whistler, being appreciated by artists, even while Ruskin was busy reviling or ignoring these illustrators. Houghton's edition of "Don Quixote" also belongs to this year. How these men accomplished all this masterly work in such a short time, I do not pretend to understand.
In 1867, "Wayside Posies," and "Jean Ingelow's Poems" were published by Routledge and Longmans. These two books reach the high-water mark of English illustration, North and Pinwell surpass themselves, the one in landscape and the other in figures. T. Dalziel also did some amazing studies of mist, rain, and night, which I imagine were absolutely unnoticed by the critics. The drawings, however, must have been popular, for Smith and Elder reprinted the Walkers and Millais', among others, from the "Cornhill" in a "Gallery" (this also included Leightons and, I think, one Sandys), and Strahan the Millais drawings in another portfolio. The "Cornhill Gallery," printed, it is said, from the original blocks, came out in 1864, possibly as an atonement for the shabby way in which the artists were treated in the magazine originally.
BY G. J. PINWELL. FOR “GOLDSMITH’ WORKS” (WARD, LOCK AND CO.). PROCESS BLOCK FROM THE ORIGINAL DRAWING ON THE WOOD IN SOUTH KENSINGTON MUSEUM.
