1 THE PICTORIAL PRESS. HEADING OF ‘THE JACOBITE’S JOURNAL,’ 1747. (Supposed to be Drawn by Hogarth.) (See page 197.) THE PICTORIAL PRESS ITS ORIGIN AND PROGRESS. 2 BY MASON JACKSON. With One Hundred and Fifty Illustrations. LONDON: HURST AND BLACKETT. PUBLISHERS. 13 GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET. 1885. All Rights reserved. 3 NOTE. SOME of the chapters of this book in a condensed form were published a few years ago in the Illustrated London News, and my acknowledgments are due to the proprietors of that journal for permission to reprint such of the woodcuts as accompanied the text in that form. I have also to thank them for their courtesy in allowing me to use several other engravings from the Illustrated London News, including some from the early numbers, which must now be reckoned among the curiosities of the Pictorial Press. M. J. CONTENTS. PAGE CHAPTER I. 5 The Pictorial Taste Universal—The Early ‘News-books’—Development of the Newspaper Press—General use of Newspapers—Establishment of Illustrated Journals—Wandering Ballad-Singers the First Newsvendors—The English Mercurie of 1588—The Abolition of the Star Chamber and its Effect on the Press. CHAPTER II. 8 Illustrated Broadsides—Sir Francis Drake’s Operations against the Spaniards— Papers of News in the Reign of James I.—The first Periodical Newspaper published in England—Illustrated Tracts relating to Storms and Floods—Remarkable Murders favourite subjects with the early Newswriters—Murder of the Rev. Mr. Storre— Murder in Cornwall—Apparition of Three Skeletons—Visions in the Air—Attempt on the Life of the Duke of Buckingham—Fall of Meteors at Bawlkin Green, Berkshire— The Swedish Intelligencer—Passage of the River Leck by Gustavus Adolphus—The Sallee Rovers—The Weekly News of 1638, an Illustrated Paper—The Irish Rebellion of 1641—The Plague in London—Murder on board an English Ship—The Earl of Strafford—His Execution on Tower Hill—Archbishop Laud—A Burlesque Play about him—Attack by the Mob on Lambeth Palace—Caricature of the Devil offering Laud a Cardinal’s Hat. CHAPTER III. 63 4 Ben Jonson’s Ridicule of the Early Newspapers—Fondness of the Old News- Writers for the Marvellous—The Smithfield Ghost—The Wonderful Whale—The Newbury Witch—Satirical Tracts and Caricatures at the Commencement of the Civil War—Religion Tossed in a Blanket—Caricatures of the Pope and the Bishops— Pluralists and Patentees—Taylor, the Water Poet—Mercurius Aulicus—Activity of the Pamphleteers—Welshmen Satirised—Satires on Prince Rupert—On the King and Queen—The Ladies’ Parliament—Illustrated Tracts relating to Social and Political Subjects—Sir Kenelm Digby’s Duel—The King entertained by the City of London, 1641—Executions in 1641—The Liquor Traffic and Sunday Closing in 1641—Abuses of the Ecclesiastical Courts—Ritualism and Nunneries in 1641—Truths enforced by Lieing—Stage Players and the Plague in 1641—Bartholomew Fair in 1641— Destruction of Charing Cross and Cheapside Cross—Strange Apparition—Method of enforcing their Views adopted by the Puritan Pamphleteers—Parodies of Roundhead Sermons—Matthew Hopkins the Witch-finder—The Welsh Post of 1643—William Lilly the Astrologer—Three Suns seen in London on the King’s Birthday. CHAPTER IV. 108 The Civil War—Flying Sheets of News—Disturbance at Kingston-on-Thames— Plot against London—Riotous Proceedings at York, and Conspiracy in Edinburgh— The House of Commons—The Royal Standard raised at Nottingham—Battle of Edgehill—Prince Rupert—The Lord Mayor of London—Mercurius Civicus— The Scottish Dove—The Flying Post—The Kingdomes Weekly Post—Cruelties of the Cavaliers—The ‘Levellers’—The King’s Escape from Oxford—Funeral of the Earl of Essex—The Great Seal Broken—Fairfax—Cromwell—Sea Fight in the Channel—The Prince of Wales’s Squadron—Mutiny at Norwich—Siege of Colchester—Execution of Sir Charles Lucas—The King at Carisbrooke Castle—Execution of the King— Confession of Richard Brandon. CHAPTER V. 153 Decrease of Newspapers after the Civil War—Mercurius Democritus—The Faithful Post—The Politique Post—Broadsides for the People—The Hollow Tree at Hampstead—Prodigious Monster taken in Spain—The Restoration—Trial of the Regicides—Execution of the Regicides—Licenser of the Press appointed—Popular Taste for the Supernatural—Apparition in the Air in Holland—Revival of Mercurius Civicus—Murder of Archbishop Sharpe—The Loyal Protestant—Frost Fair on the Thames—Monmouth’s Rebellion—The Bloody Assizes—Funeral of Queen Mary, Consort of William III.—Increase of Newspapers after the Revolution. CHAPTER VI. 180 Constant Attempts at Illustrated News—Increase of Caricatures—The Postman, 5 1704—Fiery Apparition in the Air, seen in London—Caricature against the Jacobites— The South-Sea Bubble—Eclipse of the Sun, 1724—The Grub Street Journal an Illustrated Paper—The Daily Post—Admiral Vernon’s Attack on Porto Bello— The Penny London Post—Henry Fielding and the Jacobite’s Journal—Owen’s Weekly Chronicle—Lloyd’s Evening Post, and the Trial of Lord Byron for the Murder of Mr. Chaworth—The St. James’s Chronicle—Illustrated Account of a Strange Wild Beast seen in France—The Gentleman’s Journal of Anthony Motteux—The Gentleman’s Magazine of Edward Cave—The London Magazine—The Scot’s Magazine. CHAPTER VII. 219 Revival of Wood-engraving by Thomas Bewick—The Observer started, 1791— The Times an Illustrated Paper—Illustrations of News in the Observer—St. Helena and Napoleon Bonaparte—Abraham Thornton and the ‘Assize of Battle’—Mr. William Clement and Illustrated Journalism—The Cato Street Conspiracy—Trial of Queen Caroline—The House of Commons in 1821—Coronation of George IV.—Royal Visits to Ireland and Scotland—Murder of Mr. Weare—Illustrations of the Murder in the Morning Chronicle, the Observer, and the Englishman—Bell’s Life in London— Prize-Fight at Warwick—Liston as ‘Paul Pry’—‘Gallery of Comicalities,’ &c.—Pierce Egan’s Life in London—Death of the Duke of York—Death of Mr. Canning—Opening of Hammersmith Bridge, 1827—Mr. Gurney’s Steam Coach—The Thames Tunnel— The Murder in the Red Barn—The Siamese Twins—Death of George IV.—Opening of New London Bridge, 1831—Coronation of William IV. and Queen Adelaide— Fieschi’s Infernal Machine—Funeral of William IV.—Queen Victoria’s First Visit to the City—Coronation and Marriage of the Queen—Christening of the Prince of Wales—The Weekly Chronicle—The Greenacre Murder—Mr. Cocking and his Parachute—The Courtney Riots at Canterbury—Burning of the Tower of London, 1841—The Sunday Times—Burning of the Houses of Parliament, 1834— The Champion—The Weekly Herald—The Magnet—Removing the Body of Napoleon I.—ThePenny Magazine—Charles Knight—Humorous Journalism of the Victorian Era. CHAPTER VIII. 284 The Illustrated London News—The Early Numbers—The Burning of Hamburg— Facetious Advertisements—Bal Masque at Buckingham Palace—Attempted Assassination of the Queen—The Queen’s First Trip by Railway—First Royal Visit to Scotland—Political Portraits—R. Cobden—Lord John Russell—Benjamin Disraeli— The French Revolution, 1848—The Great Exhibition, 1851—The Crimean War— Coloured Pictures—Christmas Numbers—Herbert Ingram—The Pictorial Times— Other Illustrated Journals. 6 CHAPTER IX. 315 How an Illustrated Newspaper is Produced—Wood-Engraving—Boxwood—Blocks for Illustrated Newspapers—Rapid Sketching—Drawing on the Block—Method of Dividing the Block for Engraving—Electrotyping—Development of the Printing Machine—Printing Woodcuts—Machinery for Folding Newspapers—Special Artists—Their Dangers and Difficulties—Their Adventures in War and Peace. CHAPTER X. 355 Artists who have assisted in founding the Pictorial Press—Sir John Gilbert, R.A., G. H. Thomas, and others—Wood-Engraving and its Connexion with the Pictorial Press— Other Methods of producing Illustrations—Wood-Engraving in England before and after Bewick’s time—Its wide Diffusion owing to the kindred Art of Printing—The resources of the Art developed by Pictorial Newspapers—Conclusion. Newspapers a Necessity of Civilised Life—The Acta Diurna of the Romans—Early Newspapers in Venice, Germany, and the Low Countries—List of Illustrated Newspapers published Abroad. 1 THE PICTORIAL PRESS: ITS ORIGIN AND PROGRESS. CHAPTER I. The Pictorial Taste Universal—The Early ‘News-books’—Development of the Newspaper Press— General use of Newspapers—Establishment of Illustrated Journals—Wandering Ballad Singers the First Newsvendors—The English Mercurie of 1588—The Abolition of the Star Chamber and its Effect on the Press. THE inherent love of pictorial representation in all races of men and in every age is manifest by the frequent attempts made to depict natural objects, under the most unfavourable circumstances and with the slenderest means. The rude drawing scratched on the smooth bone of an animal by the cave-dweller of pre-historic times, the painted rocks of the Mexican forests, and the cave-paintings of the Bushmen, are all evidences of this deeply-rooted passion. The child of civilised life looks with delight on his picture-book long before he can make out the letters of the alphabet, and the untutored Esquimaux treasures up the stray number of an illustrated newspaper left in his hut by the crew of some whaling ship, though he 7 cannot understand one word of the printed page. But the pictures speak a universal language, which requires no teaching to comprehend. When the printing-press came into use this love of pictures had a wide field for development. Some of the first 2books printed in England were illustrated with woodcuts, and many of the tracts, or ‘News-books,’ which preceded regular newspapers, were adorned with rude engravings. It mattered not how graphic was the pen, its work was deemed incomplete without the aid of the pencil. It often happened that the pen was none the better for the fellowship, but the public taste was not fastidious, and the work sufficed for the occasion.