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

"The Poets of the Nineteenth Century," in addition to the two fine drawings by Millais already named, has many other good pictures; one of the most remarkable, perhaps, is the "Prisoner of Chillon," by Ford Madox Brown. Sir John Tenniel is well represented, the "Death of Marmion" being one of his best. Sir John Gilbert, too, has several: "The Vicar," "To my Mother's Picture," and "Hohenlinden." So pleased were we with the latter design that we offered him a commission for a water colour drawing of the subject. His reply was, "Yes, and it shall be one of my best." And it certainly was one of his most successful as a highly-finished work and will always hold its own. There are also several interesting drawings by William Harvey, J. D. Harding, Edward Duncan, and G. Dodgson; a large number of exquisite examples of Birket Foster, and several figure subjects by J. R. Clayton, F. R. Pickersgill, R.A., Edward Corbould, and Harrison Weir. Of our own many drawings in this book we will mention a small roadside landscape, "Taste," and a single figure, "The History of a Life."

On February 6th, 1856, Mr. Ford Madox Brown, in returning a volume of the Illustrated Edition of "Longfellow's Poems," wrote:

Subsequently, on seeing the volume, "The Poets of the Nineteenth Century," he wrote:

In "Home Affections with the Poets," Millais again stands pre-eminent in his two contributions. "There's Nae Luck About the House," when compared with his drawing of the "Finding of Moses," is an apt illustration of his wonderful versatility, and a proof that in art all subjects were equally within his power.

F. R. Pickersgill has some fine pictures in this book, his "Oriana" being full of tender feeling. Sir John Tenniel, too, is very strong, his "Fair Inez" being the best. Sir John Gilbert and Birket Foster are both very powerful; the former in "When I Come Home," "The Two Angels," and "The Wee Thing"; the latter in his "True Love," "Come Awa', Come Awa'," "My Sister Ellen," and "The Graves of the Household." There is a very clever drawing, "The Sailors Journal," by George Thomas, and a grand picture, "The Shipwreck," by Edward Duncan. Among our own drawings in the collection are, "To Mary in Heaven," Emerson's "Threnody," and "My Mother Dear."

Among the first works of importance by Sir John Tenniel that came into our hands to engrave were several drawings for an illustrated edition of Tupper's "Proverbial Philosophy," as well as his contributions to the illustrated publications issued by the Art Union of London. He also made a great many important drawings for the numerous "Fine Art Books" which we produced; among them we would particularly mention "Dramatic Poems," by Barry Cornwall, and "Pollock's Course of Time"; likewise several exceptionally clever drawings for "The Ingoldsby Legends," published by Richard Bentley.

One of his most elaborate works was the set of illustrations to "Lalla Rookh." The drawings were all made on the wood with lead pencil, and were fine examples of his varied powers of design and delicate manipulation—such as gave us great pleasure in the rendering. The book was published by Messrs. Longman & Co. If Tenniel had never done any other work than "Lalla Rookh," and those two remarkable books "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass," they alone would have been sufficient to immortalise him. What a piece of work the frontispiece to the former is! What dignity and rare grotesque humour are shown in both these books! What beautiful pictures "Advice from Caterpillar" and "The Father William" make!—and how perfectly they are all drawn! "Pig and Pepper," "The Kitchen Scene," and "Alice and the Duchess" are among the best.

As a matter of fact, Tenniel did not wish to do the second book, so Mr. Dodgson ("Lewis Carrol"), the author, asked various other artists to undertake the task, amongst them Sir J. Noel Paton, who, being out of health at the time, at once declined, saying, "No, Tenniel is the man." And most fortunately, both for author and artist, he was, the drawings being most grotesque, and the delightful fooling and outrageous fancy beyond description: for instance, "Looking-Glass House," "Tweedle-dum-tweedle-dee-dee," "Humpty-Dumpty," "The Lion and Unicorn," and last of all "Queen Alice." Such pictures were half the battle in the success of these two delightful little volumes.

During the process of completing the illustrations a great deal of correspondence, always of the most agreeable nature, took place with the Rev. Mr. Dodgson, as to their execution and finish. It is well known that he was more than usually critical, both with the drawings and with the engravings. Mr. Dodgson also entrusted us later with the drawings made by Mr. A. B. Frost—a very clever and highly esteemed American artist, who fully entered into the quaint humour of the text—for "Rhyme and Reason" and "A Tangled Tale."

So much was Tenniel engaged at this time that we always regarded his undertaking the pictures, seven in number, for our "Arabian Nights," as an act of kindness to ourselves.

Outside his Punch work, we believe nearly all Tenniel's work for wood engraving was executed by us.

Messrs. Bradbury and Evans had at one time the idea of publishing an "Illustrated Shakespeare," and Tenniel was to do all the drawings, but beyond two very characteristic subjects which we engraved the project was abandoned. Doubtless he found the undertaking more than he could carry out when added to his weekly work for Punch and his other engagements.

No matter what other work he had in hand, he always contributed his weekly cartoon to Punch. The moral teaching of these drawings is beyond measure. Whether it be in caustic satire or exquisite pathos, he held the town for over fifty years, proving himself to be not only a great artist, but one who will rank amongst the highest of Britain's worthies.

Sir John Tenniel was never very effusive in his observations, though his remarks were invariably complimentary. The following are two of his letters received on submitting proofs for his correction:

When the Cornhill Magazine, in 1859, was first advertised for publication at the price of one shilling, with Thackeray as editor, the announcement fell like a bomb in the midst of the magazine publishers—Blackwood, Frazer, Colburn, Bentley and others—for nothing of this description had even been so much as dreamt of before at a less price than the orthodox half-crown. The heavy government duty on paper, then only recently removed, may have been some apology for the high price hitherto charged for this class of literature, which at the present day is so far surpassed, if not always in quality certainly in quantity, at less than half the price of the great "Cornhill innovation."

In 1847 or '48 we were introduced to Mr. George Smith, of Smith, Elder and Co., and for several years executed a fair share of the engravings they required. Amongst the earlier of these works we contributed to "The Jar of Honey, from Mount Hybla," by Leigh Hunt, and "The Dwarf of the Golden River," by John Ruskin. During this period we were not infrequently brought into correspondence with Mr. Williams, literary adviser of the firm. He was a grand old gentleman, with a kind, sympathetic manner, which won for him the sincere regard of all with whom he became associated.

When the Cornhill Magazine was started we were asked by Mr. George Smith (whose courtesy and kindness were at all times most marked during the many years of our connection) to undertake the engravings, as he purposed issuing one or two full page plates with each monthly number. This we did for several years, producing during the time, among the more important works, charming illustrations by Millais, Richard Doyle, Lord Leighton, P.R.A., F. Sandys, and other artists, all of whom, as time rolled on, acquired a prominent position in their art.

Artists not being proverbial for the just appreciation of punctuality, many of these engravings were produced under great pressure, as the following letter from Mr. George Smith will show:

Richard Doyle's "Bird's-eye Views of Society," which first appeared in the Cornhill, were afterwards published in book form, and had a very considerable sale.

It was also through our connection with the Cornhill Magazine that we were introduced to George Augustus Sala, who was at that time contributing a series of papers and illustrating the articles himself. On our submitting proofs for his correction or approval, he wrote: