The Brothers Dalziel / A Record of Fifty Years Work in Conjunction with many of the Most Distinguished Artists of the Period 1840-1890

We gave Doyle a commission to do a Panorama of an Overland Journey to the Great Exhibition of 1851, which it was intended should be published before, or immediately after, the opening day. We need hardly say the drawings were not done to time; in fact, the last of them was not finished until just on the closing of the Exhibition, consequently the publication was a dead failure.

It is greatly to be regretted that Doyle did not see his way to complete this work at the date agreed upon, and while the great excitement about the Exhibition was at fever heat, for the characteristic humour which is so peculiarly his own, and so cleverly depicted in the various Nationalities forming the Panorama, must have secured for the work a very extensive circulation, and thereby have added greatly to his reputation.

When Doyle retired from contributing to Punch, we gave him a commission to illustrate all the popular Children's Nursery Tales. He expressed himself delighted to undertake the work, and "Jack the Giant Killer" was to be the first. This was done, and published by Cundall and Addy of Bond Street. "The Sleeping Beauty" was the second, but the drawings for this book came so lingeringly to hand that the idea of a series was abandoned, and the blocks were put aside for some time. Those we had, however, were considered so beautiful, and so full of quaint fancy that we decided to enlist the co-operation of J. R. Planche to set new words to them, which he did very charmingly, and the book was published for us by Messrs. G. Routledge and Sons, under the title of "An Old Fairy Tale Told Anew." Those two stories were all Doyle ever did for the series; and their production extended over several years instead of a few months, as would have been the case in the hands of a more business-like artist.

We cannot help feeling that much excellent work has been lost by Doyle not carrying out this scheme, and fancy what exquisite things he would have made of "Cinderella," "Jack and the Bean Stalk," etc., etc.

Notwithstanding his tardiness, so long as Doyle continued to draw upon wood we were in constant communication with him, engraving his productions.

Among these may be mentioned many of the illustrations he did for Charles Dickens' Christmas Stories, as well as those he made for Ruskin's charming fairy tale, "The King of the Golden River," Leigh Hunt's "A Jar of Honey from Mount Hylba," and the entire set for "Bird's-Eye Views of Society," published in the Cornhill Magazine. We also engraved a large number of his "Brown, Jones and Robinson" pictures. He proposed to us a scheme for doing a companion volume: "Brown, Jones and Robinson in the Highlands of Scotland," but through his dilatory disposition, and the many and varied engagements we had at that time on our hands, the project was not carried out.

Although we had been accustomed for several years, through our connection with Ebenezer Landells and the Illustrated London News, to work upon Sir John Gilbert's drawings—perhaps among the very first was a small drawing of "Cupid Delivering a Love Letter," published in an early number of Punch—it was not until 1851 that we came into active communication with him. Our first personal interview was to ask him to make two drawings, a title page and frontispiece to "Praise and Principle." He took a small foot rule out of his pocket, measured the size of the two wood blocks, and said, "The price will be thirty-five shillings each, but I could not possibly give them to you tomorrow; but the next morning you may rely on having them." The drawings were duly sent, and with them an account for the sum named; also a letter to say he had made a mistake in the price, and that all future drawings of the same size and character would be two guineas each. This promptitude, it is worthy of remark, was a striking characteristic of the man, for during the many years that we were in constant intercourse with him, and engraved many hundreds of his drawings, we have no remembrance of him ever being a day behind the time he promised to send in his work.

The drawings for "Praise and Principle" were followed by many sets of illustrations, generally eight in number, for books issued by the Messrs. Routledge.

As an example of his peculiar method of book keeping in those early days the following letter will be interesting:

Early in 1852 we were commissioned by Messrs. Ingram and Cook, who had then added a book publishing business to their other operations, to engrave the pictures for an édition de luxe of Dr. Charles Mackay's beautiful and fantastical poem "The Salamandrine," which Sir John Gilbert had undertaken to illustrate; and it may be confidently said that of the thousands of drawings which he afterwards made he never surpassed the charm and grace of his manipulative skill as shown in this exquisitely decorated volume. The book was very beautifully got up and most perfectly printed. Of our labour and part in the production, perhaps it may be sufficient to quote a short note Dr. Mackay wrote to us on the subject:

Following "The Salamandrine," began the most important works of our lives, and it was through the enterprise of Messrs. Routledge and Warne that we were enabled to produce so long a list of "Fine Art Books," some of them on commission, and many others entirely on our own responsibility. These also brought us many important commissions from such houses as Messrs. Longman & Co., W. Blackwood & Son, Smith, Elder & Co., J. Nisbet & Co., Appleton & Co., New York, Roberts Brothers, Boston, and several other publishers of high standing both in England and America.

An important feature in Sir John Gilbert's practice in this branch of his art was his marvellous power of design, and wonderful dexterity in execution. On one occasion during the progress of his work he spoke of a drawing that had given him some trouble. He said, "Would you believe it, sir, I was so dissatisfied with it that I absolutely rubbed it out." He was asked one day whether he ever made an alteration on any other drawing for "The Salamandrine." He replied, "Was there ever any evidence of such a thing?"

But the greatest work of his that passed through our hands was Staunton's "Shakespeare," also published by Messrs. Routledge, the publication extending over four years. Vast as it was, he never disappointed us as to time, and when we take into consideration the number and elaborate character of the drawings, his regularity in sending them in was really surprising. The system adopted was to leave the tailpieces at the end of each Act to be drawn according to the size of the spaces left on the pages, and it was our custom to send a set of sheets of a Play down to him by special messenger with the understanding that he was to bring the drawings, four or five, as the case might be, back with him the same evening, which he always did: many of them being so elaborately and so carefully finished as to prove that Gilbert literally had the subjects at "his fingers' ends."

The following letters are of interest as expressing Gilbert's opinion and impression on seeing the first number of this important work:

On the completion of the first volume, he says:

That the printing of some of our books was not at all times faultless, the following note from Sir John Gilbert will testify. In acknowledging a volume of India proofs, he says:

About this time W. Harrison Ainsworth was editing "Bentley's Miscellany," and published some of his own works through that journal, Sir John Gilbert making the illustrations to "The Lancaster Witches," which were entrusted to us for engraving and printing. In sending a cheque, Ainsworth wrote:

Again, in another letter accompanying a set of drawings by Gilbert, illustrating "The Constable of the Tower," he says:

While the illustrations to "Shakespeare" were in progress we had two sets of engraver's burnished India proofs taken by skilled hands, under our own special care, before the wood blocks were delivered to the printer. One set, we are pleased to say, is now the property of the British Museum, where they will remain in all their original beauty.

Sir John Gilbert died at his house, Vanburgh Park Road, Blackheath, on October 5th, 1897, in his 81st year.

His brother, Mr. Frederick Gilbert, writing on his death, says, "My brother, Sir John, had a long and distressing illness, but we are thankful to think not a very painful one—he died very peacefully."

A friend of Sir John's called upon him a few months before his death and found him hard at work, and making a favourable remark about the picture he was engaged upon, the veteran replied, quite seriously, "Well, yes! I think I'm improving."

"And I am told, Sir John," continued the friend, "that you have never painted from the living model."

Sir John turned his head, with an amused look about the eyes, saying, "Well, to tell you the truth, I cannot remember the time when I did so."

The writer of a highly appreciative article in the Magazine of Art, says, "Though Sir John Gilbert painted art in every branch, it is only in one, and that not in the public estimation the one by which he defies the rivalry of all comers, that he showed himself head and shoulders above the draughtsmen of his time.... Distinguished as he was as a painter, it is in virtue of his achievements in black and white that he takes his place among the few masters, not of his age and country only, but of all time, who through the medium of the hand and printing press have ranged themselves among the highest.... He may be voted old-fashioned for the moment, but real art rises superior to mode or vogue in taste: it has time upon its side.

"Added to innumerable illustrations made for the London Journal, it is estimated that Sir John Gilbert made at least 30,000 drawings for the Illustrated London News.[7] He sent 50 pictures to the Royal Academy, 20 to the British Artists, 40 to the Royal Water Colour Society, 40 to the British Institute, and produced about 270 works which have never been exhibited. Added to this stupendous list of works he contributed 110 drawings to the Illustrated Edition of 'Longfellow's Poems,' 50 to Dr. Charles Mackay's 'Salamandrine,' 832 to Staunton's 'Shakespeare,' several to 'Lays of the Holy Land,' 'The Book of Job,' and 'Wordsworth's Poems,' as well as a liberal contribution to the long series of books known as 'Dalziel's Fine Art Books.'"

In referring to Gilbert's book illustrations a recent writer says, "There is no sign of haste, though many are sketchy; still, there is nothing which suggests that greater excellence would have attended greater elaboration."