THE BROTHERS DALZIEL A RECORD OF FIFTY YEARS' WORK 1840-1890 THE BROTHERS DALZIEL A RECORD OF FIFTY YEARS' WORK IN CONJUNCTION WITH MANY OF THE MOST DISTINGUISHED ARTISTS OF THE PERIOD 1840-1890 WITH SELECTED PICTURES BY, AND AUTOGRAPH LETTERS FROM LORD LEIGHTON, P.R.A., SIR J. E. MILLAIS, Bart., P.R.A., SIR E. J. POYNTER, P.R.A., HOLMAN HUNT, DANTE G. ROSSETTI, SIR JOHN TENNIEL, SIR E. BURNE-JONES, Bart., JOHN RUSKIN, AND MANY OTHERS. LONDON METHUEN AND CO. 36 ESSEX STREET W.C. 1901 LONDON: PRINTED BY DALZIEL AND CO., LTD. CAMDEN PRESS, 110 HIGH STREET, CAMDEN TOWN. TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. CHAPTER I. CHAPTER II. CHAPTER III. CHAPTER IV. CHAPTER V. CHAPTER VI. CHAPTER VII. OUR PUPILS. THE PRINTING OFFICE. LIST OF FINE ART AND OTHER ILLUSTRATED BOOKS PRODUCED BY AND UNDER THE ENTIRE SUPERINTENDENCE OF THE BROTHERS DALZIEL. FINE ART BOOKS PARTLY THE WORK OF THE BROTHERS DALZIEL. INDEX. TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES. PREFACE. Thomas Bewick, who revived the art of wood engraving in England, was apprenticed to Ralph Beilby, as a copperplate engraver, in 1767. About 1770 he began to engrave on wood. The work at first was rough, and chiefly for newspaper advertisements; but he soon saw the capabilities of the material, and he rapidly developed into the great master of his art. The excellence of his wood engraving may be said to have culminated in his "Book of British Birds," the first volume of which was published in 1797. For a century from that date the art of wood engraving has been the most popular as well as the best method for the reproduction of all classes of drawings, and during that hundred years much beautiful work has been done. Bewick's pupils were all artists in the fullest meaning of the word—John Bewick (his brother), Robert Johnson, Luke Clenell, Charlton Nesbit, Isaac Nicholson, and William Harvey. What a grand start the first half of the century of wood engraving had with such great men! In the second half—in which we claim to have had our share —were such brilliant contemporaries as John Jackson, John Thomson, the Williams', J. W. Whymper, Orrin Smith, Mason Jackson, W. L. Thomas, W. J. Linton, J. D. Cooper, C. Roberts, Biscombe Gardner, Joseph Swain, and J. W. Palmer —all true artists, draughtsmen, and painters, as well as wood engravers. Touching the old cry of defective reproduction, we say that at times there could not fail to be some amount of depreciation, but never such as justified the senseless and vulgar remarks made by certain critics, which can only be passed over in consideration of their total want of technical knowledge of the art, and of the conditions under which much of the work was produced. Coarse epithets have been used towards men who were devoting, with all possible earnestness, their skill to an art for the reproduction of work for popular issues. Wood engraving, being no exception to other arts, demands conditions necessary for the production of perfect work. First, the man who makes the drawing ought to know the capabilities of the material and should work accordingly; second, the engraver should have all the true instincts of an artist; and, third, he must have the full interval of time to perform his work with proper care. A large amount of wood engraving being done on the rush, it was a common thing to "burn the midnight oil" and the engraver's eyes at the same time, and it is a marvel that so much beautiful artistic work was done under such conditions. We have printed in this book many letters from distinguished artists expressing their satisfaction with our rendering of their drawings, with one object—to place beyond all doubt that if wood engravings were produced under the conditions named, the results would always prove satisfactory. We have a letter before us from Sir Edward Burne-Jones, in which he says: "I was quite unprepared for such fidelity." By the introduction of the various "processes" by which artists' drawings are nowadays made applicable for reproduction, the days of wood engraving are practically over, and we have to bow to the new light which we had long felt would come; and we need hardly say that, for the reproduction of good pen work, with the new process by line etching, the results are perfect. Also, when we look at the reproductions of tint drawings by such men as William Small, De Haenen, the Pagets, Caton Woodville, W. L. and C. Wyllie, Edgar Bundy, Jacomb Hood, and many other artists of distinction, by the half-tone process, and when we think (beyond all this fine artistic work) of the vast mass of wonderful illustration given to the public, week by week, of every conceivable class of subject, direct from the camera, in which the draughtsman has no part at all, and this work is generally of singular beauty and truth—we feel that our occupation is gone. In saying this we wish to add that we hail with satisfaction the marvellous results from these many ingenious adaptations of photography, and the consequent wide spread of the art of illustration, which has ever been our greatest delight. In preparing the contents of this book it would have been impossible to give the many specimens of our work but for the kind and liberal spirit with which our requests were responded to by the various publishers who had entrusted us with their commissions from our very earliest days. Our best thanks are due, in the first instance, to Messrs. Adam & Charles Black, for the loan of two engravings for the "Abbotsford Edition of Scott's Novels," which were amongst our first important works; the Art Union of London, for a specimen of Kenny Meadows'; Messrs. Macmillan, for specimens from "The Ingoldsby Legends," "Tennyson's Poems," and "Alice in Wonderland"; Messrs. Bradbury & Agnew, for selections from Richard Doyle's work; Messrs. George Routledge & Sons, for specimens from "Gilbert's Shakespeare" and various "Fine Art Books"; Messrs. Herbert Virtue & Co., for several from Millais' "The Parables of Our Lord" and "Dalziel's Bible Gallery"; Messrs. Blackwood & Son, for "Lays of the Scottish Cavaliers," by Sir J. Noel Paton; Messrs. James Nisbet & Co., for "Lays of the Holy Land;" Messrs. Longman & Co., for Tenniel's "Lalla Rookh"; Messrs. Smith, Elder & Co., for "Framley Parsonage" and the Cornhill Magazine; Mr. James Hogg, for "London Society"; Messrs. D. Appleton & Co., for "Poems by W. Cullen Bryant"; Mr. John Hogg, for "Poems by Robert Buchanan"; Messrs. Chapman & Hall, for many illustrations to the works of Charles Dickens; the Proprietors of the Graphic, for "The Sisters," by G. J. Pinwell; and to Messrs. Ward and Lock, for "Dalziel's Arabian Nights" and "Dalziel's Goldsmith." Mr. Alexander Strahan has our warmest thanks for much help which he kindly gave us in procuring many valuable representative specimens of our work from his various publications. And yet other thanks are due. Before publishing the letters to be found in the following pages, it was necessary to seek the permission of the writer of each, or the executors of those no longer with us. In every case the response has been so kind and so reminiscent, that the interest and pleasure derived from their receipt will remain till the end with George and Edward Hampstead 1901 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. SUBJECT. PAGE From a Bust by his Son, Robert OUR FATHER. 3 Dalziel From an Oil Painting by her Son, OUR MOTHER. 5 Robert Dalziel PORTRAIT OF From an Oil Painting by his 7 GEORGE DALZIEL. Brother Robert " From an Oil Painting by his EDWARD 9 Brother Robert DALZIEL. " JOHN From a Photograph 11 DALZIEL. " THOMAS From a Photograph 13 DALZIEL. " WILLIAM From a Wood Engraving 15 HARVEY. " MARGARET From a Photograph 20 DALZIEL. ILLUSTRATED BY THE EARL OF From the William Harvey 21 LEICESTER'S Abbotsford LEVEE. Edition of "Kenilworth" From the MACKAY, AS THE Abbotsford Sir William Allan, BAILIE NICOL 25 Edition of R.A., P.R.S.A. JARVIE. "Rob Roy" CHILDREN IN THE WOOD. John Franklin 27 William SLEEPING CHILD AND LAMB. 29 Mulready, R.A. From the Sir John Gilbert, "EVANGELINE." Poetical Works 33 R.A., P.R.W.S. of Longfellow "L'ALLEGRO." Kenny Meadows 39 Frederick Walker, A BALL-ROOM. 43 A.R.A., R.W.S. From the "A LAY OF ST. George "Ingoldsby 45 DUNSTAN." Cruikshank Legends" "THE LORD OF " Sir John Tenniel 47 TOULOUSE." "THE WEDDING George " 49 DAY." Cruikshank F. R. Pickersgill, THE ADORATION OF THE MAJI. 53 R.A. FAIRY DANCE. W. E. Frost, R.A. 55 F. R. Pickersgill, "ORIANA." Tennyson 57 R.A. SCOTLAND. From "An Richard Doyle 60 Overland Journey to the Great Exhibition of 1851" JACK AND THE " 63 GIANTS. THE GIANTS. " 64 THE ARRIVAL AT " 65 COLOGNE. EVENING ON THE " 67 LAGO-MAGGIORE. "THE Dr. Charles Sir John Gilbert, 69 SALAMANDRINE." Mackay R.A., P.R.W.S. LUCY GRAY. W. " 71 Wordsworth KING LEAR. " 73 KING LEAR AND " 75 FOOL IN A STORM. LEAR FANTASTICALLY " 79 DRESSED WITH FLOWERS. "THE LORD OF Sir J. E. Millais, Tennyson 83 BURLEIGH." P.R.A. "THE TALKING " " 87 OAK." "ORIANA." " Holman Hunt 90 "ST. CECILLIA." " Dante G. Rossetti 91 HALLELUJAH. Arthur Hughes 93 THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE. Sir J. E. Millais, 95 P.R.A. THE UNJUST JUDGE. " 99 Sir J. E. Millais, THE LEAVEN. 103 P.R.A. "EDINBURGH, Sir J. Noel Paton, Aytoun 107 AFTER FLODDEN." P.R.S.A. "THE EXECUTION " " 109 OF MONTROSE." "THE SONG OF Campbell J.