Whether the idea of the "special artist on the spot" originated in England or not, I cannot say; certainly he was employed, and his work acknowledged in the early numbers of the "Illustrated London News." But, at any rate, many Englishmen have devoted themselves almost entirely to this form of pictorial reporting and correspondence. The man who has had probably the most extensive experience is William Simpson, of the "Illustrated London News,"[21] but F. Villiers, Melton Prior, and Sidney Hall have assisted at almost all the scenes of national joy or grief—have followed the fortunes of war, or the progress of royalty, or any other important event in every quarter of the world. These artists' methods of work were most interesting. They trained themselves to sketch under the most dangerous, fatiguing, and difficult conditions—making rather shorthand notes than sketches, which were quite intelligible to a clever band of artists attached to their various journals. These artists, on receiving the sketches, produced finished drawings in a few hours, or, at longest, a few days. Now, however, matters have changed somewhat. The editors (not the public) have learned to appreciate sketches, and men who can either produce a complete work of art on the spot, or work from their own sketches, are more generally engaged in this way. I do not mean to say that the war correspondents I have named could not do this work, only that often they did not, owing to exigencies of time and other difficulties. Mr. Hall's work at present is finished on the spot. His drawings at the Parnell trial were most notable. But I think in the next artistic generation the correspondent will have to work harder—if he produces less.
BY R. CATON WOODVILLE. REDUCED FROM “THE ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWS.”
BY SYDNEY P. HALL. PEN DRAWING FROM “THE GRAPHIC.”
BY AUBREY BEARDSLEY. FROM A DRAWING IN THE POSSESSION OF THE AUTHOR.
BY WALTER WILSON. REDUCED FROM “THE ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWS.”